


Puella Magi Akari Magica

by MahouShoujoFangirl



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Blood and Injury, Canon Lesbian Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Gen, Magical Girls, Murder, Original Character(s), Physical Abuse, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24702652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MahouShoujoFangirl/pseuds/MahouShoujoFangirl
Summary: Akari Sonozaki has been having weird dreams - dreams where she and her sister, Hikari, are fighting a strange creature, dreams involving girls she’s never met before but somehow seem familiar, and dreams with a strange white creature with red eyes. At first, she dismisses them as just that - dreams. But when Hikari murders their father - something Akari had seen in a dream before - she is convinced that her dreams mean something. Could they be prophetic?As the twins are on the run, they encounter a strange white creature named Kyubey - the same creature Akari had seen in her dreams - who offers the girls a contract - have any wish granted in exchange for magical powers, which they would use to fight Witches. As Akari and Hikari, along with two other magical girls, Kazue Kobayashi and Hinako Funai, fight Witches as well as prepare to fight the most powerful Witch of them all, Akari seeks to find meaning to her dreams.
Kudos: 4





	1. I'll never leave you behind, no matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I decided to make an original PMMM series, called Puella Magi Akari Magica. I promise I won't abandon this one and I'll actually finish it. Anyways, like the tags say, I must warn you that there may be some triggering things in this story. I'll put warnings at the beginning of each chapter for the specific triggers. 
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Abuse - verbal abuse, physical abuse, alcoholism, murder, blood, violence.

Akari Sonozaki found herself on a train. It was moving fast and completely empty. She wandered around looking for her sister, Hikari. Suddenly, the train shook. She grabbed on to one of the bars.  
“Akari!"

She heard her sister calling for her. Akari ran towards the source of the voice. She found Hikari in another carriage and ran towards her. 

“Hikari!”

The two girls ran towards each other and hugged for a brief moment.  
"Hikari, what's going on?" asked Akari.  
"I don't know" replied Hikari. "But something tells me we have to get out of here." 

Suddenly, the train shook again. The girls held tightly to each other.  
"We need to get out of here, now! Come on!" 

The girls held each other's hands and ran until the reached the end of the train carriage. When they went out, they were shocked. The sky was dull grey and covered with clouds. It was raining heavily. Almost all of Yumegawa Town was destroyed.  
"This is unbelievable!" exclaimed Akari. "The whole town is destroyed!"  
"Look there!"  
Hikari pointed in the sky. A strange creature was floating. It almost resembled a woman, except they were sure it wasn't really human. The creature wore a blue gown. She had no eyes, just a smile plastered on her face. Her laughs echoed through the destroyed town.  
"That's the thing that destroyed the town..." said Hikari.  
"What do we do?" asked Akari

"You can change this" a voice said. The girls found a strange creature standing behind them. It was white and fluffy, had red eyes that bore into them, ears that resembled that of a rabbit, and a large, white fluffy tail.  
"We can.... change this?" asked Akari.  
"Yes. You are the only ones who can defeat that Witch" said the creature.  
"We can? How?" asked Hikari.  
"Its easy. You just have to make a contract with me, and become a magical girl."

"Akari, wake up."  
Hikari's voice awoke Akari from her dream. She found herself back in her shared room with Hikari.  
"Wake up, we're going to be late" said Hikari.  
"Hikari.... good morning."  
"Had another dream?"  
"Yeah, a strange one."  
"Your dreams really are something else. Hurry up and get dressed before mother yells at us again."

The two girls got dressed for school, brushed their teeth, and then went down for breakfast.  
"Took you two long enough", their mother, Asami, snapped. "Now help me arrange the table!"  
The girls helped their set the plates and cleaned the table while their mother cooked breakfast. While Akari was cleaning, she accidentally tipped over a plate and it fell down and broke.  
"Oh no!"  
Asami marched over on hearing the sound. She saw the broken plate and let out a gasp.  
"Who did this?! Hikari?!"  
"No, i-it wasn't her fault, it was me. I tipped..." Akari tried to defend Hikari but her mother cut her off.  
"I don't care who did it. I should've known better than to trust you two! I give you one small work, and you manage to mess it up! God, I am TIRED of you two! What sin did I commit in my previous life to be saddled with these two BURDENS?!"  
There was a long silence.  
"Just.... clean up what you've done" groaned Asami before storming off.  
The girls cleaned up the mess, then Hikari prepared their breakfast which they ate. Finally, they went to school.  
"Hikari, I'm sorry" Akari said.  
"Don't worry. It was an accident" Hikari assured her. "Besides, she would've scolded us for any small thing anyway."  
"Is there anything we can do right?" asked Akari.  
"According to our parents, I don't think so."

At school, it wasn't much of a good day either. The teacher, Ms. Mitsuki, handed over their Math tests. Both Akari and Hikari failed horribly.  
"Sonozaki Akari and Sonozaki Hikari! Somehow you two barely pass my class every single time. But this time, you both failed horribly! I need to see you both after class!"  
The girls went to their desks and glumly stared at their test paper.  
"Are we going to hide this?" asked Akari.  
"Even if we do, I'm sure mother will find out somehow" said Hikari. "Either way, we're in for a beating with father."  
"Oh, can't we have one peaceful day?"  
"Hey, cheer up. We still have the poetry club meeting today."  
"Oh, yeah" Akari lightened up. "I've been waiting to show them this poem."

After all the classes were over, the girls went to see their teacher.  
"You both have been barely passing my classes all this time, but this time, you failed horribly! I know you must be better than this! Do you study at home?"  
The girls looked at each other.  
"If you keep this up, you'll never get in a good college. You girls do have potential. If you study properly, you can definitely pass. Just promise that you'll study hard for the next test."  
The twins shared a glance again. Then finally, they both said, "We promise."  
"That's what I like" Ms. Mitsuki smiled. "You can go now."

After their meeting with the teacher, Akari and Hikari went straight to the poetry club room where the members were waiting for them.  
"Aha, our favourite twins are here!" the club president, Yua, exclaimed.  
The girls ran into the room excitedly.  
"How did your meeting with Mitsuki-sensei go?" asked Momoko.  
"Ah, she just made us promise to study for the next test" said Hikari.  
"You got your tests back today?" asked Yua.  
"Yeah. We both failed" said Akari.  
"Hey, no worries. I'm terrible at math too. In fact, I fail almost all the time!" Yua said proudly.  
"Senpai, I don't think that's something to be proud of" said Kirari.  
"Anyways, now that we're all here, we can start the meeting! Last time we agreed that the theme for this meeting's poem would be 'something you find beautiful'. Have you all written poems based on this theme?" asked Yua.  
"Yes!" the other girls all replied in unison.  
"Great! Then lets hear them out. I'll start by reading out my poem."

Yua came to the front and took out the paper in which she had written her poem. She read her poem out loud. When she was done, the girls all clapped their hands.  
"That was so beautiful! As expected from the poetry club president!" Momoko exclaimed.  
"Yua-senpai's poems always touch your heart" said Akari.  
"I agree. I wish I could convey emotions as good as her" said Hikari.  
"Come on, Hikari-chan, you're one of the best poets here" said Yua. "Alright, who wants to be next!"  
"Me!" Kirari waved her hand. "I want everyone to hear this poem. I consider it to be one of my best."  
"Is that so? Well, I'm looking forward to hearing it."  
Yua sat at the back and Kirari came forward and read her poem. When she was done, they all clapped.  
"That was amazing, Kirari-chan!" exclaimed Yua. "You've come a long way."  
"Kirari-chan's poems are so cute" said Akari.  
"She certainly has improved from when she first joined here" said Hikari. "She was so shy, but now she's gained more confidence."  
"Aww, thanks you guys. It means a lot to me" said Kirari.  
"Okay, who's next?" asked Yua. 

In this way, all the member came forward and presented their poems. Finally, it was Akari's turn. She came forward with her poem.  
"I worked hard on this one" she said. "This poem is about siblings who love and cherish each other."  
Akari read out her poem. When she was done, everyone was in awe. They all clapped.  
"As expected! Akari-chan's poems are so full of heart" said Yua.  
"Hikari-chan is lucky to have a sister like that" said Momoko. "My little brother is nothing like this."  
"Aw, I bet he loves you, Momoko-chan. He just has a different way of showing it" said Hikari.  
"Yeah right!" said Momoko. "You're the only one left now. Lets hear your poem."  
Hikari stepped forward.  
"This poem is about the joy of doing what you love" said Hikari. "I hope you will like it."  
Hikari read out her poem. Everyone applauded her when she was done.  
"Hikari-chan's poem was just as good. As expected from the Sonozaki sisters!" said Yua.  
"Thank you. I'm glad you like it" said Hikari. She went back to her seat.

"Okay, since everyone is done, who wants snacks?!" asked Yua.  
"I do!"  
The girls rushed towards Yua as she gave them some cookies.  
"Here you are! These are handmade by my mother!"  
She gave a cookie to each and they all ate it.  
"This is so good!" exclaimed Kirari.  
"Your mother is such a good cook" said Momoko.  
"Haha. She's also teaching me how to make sweets. Soon I'll be able to make tasty treats just like her" said Yua.  
"Yua-senpai, your mother is really kind" said Akari.  
"Thank you. I'll be sure to tell her" said Yua.  
Akari looked longingly at Yua. How she wished her parents would be like Yua's.  
"Alright, for the next meeting, the theme would be 'something your heart desires'"  
"Something your..... heart desires?" asked Hikari.  
"Yes. Like your biggest wish. Something you want from the bottom of your heart" said Yua.  
"That sounds good. Though writing a poem for that will be complicated" said Kirari.  
"Its a nice challenge" said Momoko.  
"Alright everyone, next time you come, be sure to have your poems ready according to this theme. And with this, our meeting is adjourned."

As Akari and Hikari walked home, they talked about the poetry club meeting.  
"Something your heart desires.... huh?" said Akari.  
"Akari, if you could get any one wish, what would you wish for?" asked Hikari.  
"I'd.... wish for our parents to be kinder to us" said Akari. "What about you?"  
"I guess I'd wish for the same" said Hikari. "I guess that's what our heart desires the most - a kind and loving family"  
"Yeah, that makes sense" said Akari.

"We're home."  
Akari and Hikari came home to find their mother staring menacingly at them.  
"I'd rather you didn't come" said Asami. "Now, where are your marks?"  
"H-huh? How did you find out?" asked Akari.  
"How did I find out? Mitsuki-sensei phoned me, of course. Now, give me your papers."  
The girls exchanged glances. Then, they fished into their bags for their test papers and showed it to their mother. She took one look at the paper and her face went red.  
"So, you failed huh? I guess its fitting for you two. You're nothing but FAILURES! I always knew you were bad, but even I didn't expect this! You girls have proven me right, that you are burdens and failures!" 

"Darling, what's the matter?"  
The girls' father, Shou, came down the stairs. Hikari immediately got in front of Akari.  
"The girls got their test papers back and wouldn't you know it? They failed, just like the failures they are!"  
Asami waved the papers in front of Shou's face. He took one look and ripped the papers.  
"So, you failed your math test, huh? How bad of you! Children like you need to be thought a lesson."  
He got out a wooden stick.  
"Akari, get back" Hikari whispered.  
"But-"  
Shou came forward and hit Hikari with the stick. He hit her so hard that she got a cut in her skin. She began to bleed. Shou continued to hit her. Once he was satisfied, he went away.  
"Next time you fail, it will be even more painful" he said, going away. 

Akari lifted Hikari up and put her arm around her shoulder. Then she took her to their room. She got out the bandages and the cotton and began to treat Hikari's wounds.  
"Ouch. His beating hurt just as much when he's sober" said Hikari.  
"Hikari, I told you before, you don't have to take all the beatings for me" said Akari.  
"Its fine, really. All I want to do is protect you" said Hikari.  
"But still. He hurt you really badly today." said Akari.  
"Ugh, I guess he has a special hatred for me for some reason. But, if it means you not getting hurt, I'll bear all the pain in the world."  
"If only there was a way for you to protect me without getting hurt."  
"I wish that too. But it seems we're born in this fate."  
Akari finished bandaging all of Hikari's wounds.  
"Thank you, Akari. Later I'll sneak food for both of us. I don't think mother will make any dinner for us. That would be the fourth time this week."

Later, as the girls slept, Akari had another dream. In it, they were facing their father. Hikari stood in front of Akari as usual, a protective arm out in front of her. She instructed Akari to stay back. Shou, in his drunken rage, beat up Hikari. However, it gor so bad that she began to bleed from her mouth. Akari couldn't take it any longer.  
"STOP!"  
She lunged forward and tried to pull Shou away from Hikari.  
"Don't pull me away, you little brat!"  
Shou then slapped Akari so hard that she fell to the floor.  
"I've gone easy on you for way too long. Its time you face your sister's punishment too."  
He raised his hand on Akari but before he could hit her, he suddenly went limp and fell down. Hikari had stabbed him with a broken beer bottle.  
"Don't you dare touch her, you bastard!"  
"Y-You little..... brat!"  
Hikari stabbed him a few more times till he was dead. Akari stared on in horror.  
"H-Hikari.... what did you..."  
Hikari's eyes widened as she realised what she had done. She grabbed Akari's hand and they ran away. 

Akari woke up in a cold sweat.  
"Akari, what's the matter?" asked Hikari.  
"Another dream."  
"Again? We should do something about those."  
"They're dreams. You can't do anything about them. But my dreams are always strange, for some reason."  
The girls got up and did their daily morning routine. They came down and helped their mother arrange the table. Hikari helped her make breakfast. She was extremely careful. This time, they did not make any mistakes. However, their mother wasn't any kinder.

It was a weekend, but that didn't mean the girls had time to themselves. Their mother made them do a lot of the housework. If there was even a small mistake, she berated them and told them they couldn't do anything right. 

Later on in the night, the girls went to their rooms.  
"Looks like we'll have no dinner again" said Akari.  
"Its fine. I'll sneak in some food later" said Hikari.  
"I really don't look forward to weekends" said Akari.  
"Me too. What's a relaxing day to others is a nightmare to us" said Hikari.  
"Don't you wish we had Yua-senpai's parents?" asked Akari. "They seem so nice."  
"Yeah." Hikari smiled. "Lets wait till midnight, when mother is asleep. Then I'll get us some food." 

Soon it struck midnight. Hikari told Akari to hang on in the bedroom and went down. Asami was asleep, as suspected. Shou hadn't come back. He was probably out drinking again as usual. Hikari tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Even when they were children, they were often punished by not being given dinner. When she was 6, Hikari learned to sneak down and get herself and Akari food when their parents were sleeping. She'd been doing that ever since. She went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. But before she could take anything, she heard the door opened. She sighed. Great! Her father was back. And he was probably as drunk as ever. Hikari hid at the side of the fridge. Shou staggered into the kitchen. Despte her attempt to hide, he noticed Hikari. He pulled her out by the hair. It took everything in her not to scream when she was pulled out.  
"Why are you out here?" he spluttered in his drunken stupour. Hikari didn't answer.  
"Oh, so you're stealing food, are you? You were again punished, weren't you? And so you decided to steal food."  
Hikari still stared defiantly at her father.  
"Little brats like you who steal deserve to be taught a lesson."  
Shou raised his hand and hit Hikari so hard that she fell down. 

Meanwhile, Akari was waiting in the bedroom. She was hungry. Hikari was taking longer than usual. She began to get worried. She suddenly heard noises downstairs.  
"Hikari!"  
She rushed downstairs and into the kitchen to see Shou standing over Hikari, who was on the floor, bruised and bleeding. Shou's beatings were harder than ever. Hikari was even bleeding from her mouth.  
"HIKARI!!!"  
Akari ran towards her sister.  
"Akari..... why are you here?" asked Hikari.  
"You, get out of my way!"  
"Stop! This has gone on long enough! Stop hurting Hikari! I won't let you hurt her anymore!"  
Akari stood in front of Hikari and spread both her arms in front of her.  
"You little brat.... I've gone easy on you for way too long. You deserve a little beating too!"  
He raised his hand and slapped Akari so hard that she fell to the floor.  
"AKARIII!!!"  
Hikari immediately saw red. She spotted an empty beer bottle on the table. Despite her injured state, she grabbed the bottle and bashed it against the table to break it. Then, she stabbed Shou in the back before he could hurt Akari any further. Shou immediately looked behind him.  
"Why you little...."  
Hikari took the bottle out and stabbed him again. She drove the bottle deeper this time.  
"Don't you dare touch her!" 

At this, Akari immediately remembered her dream. Hikari had done the same thing there. 

Shou fell down and soon, was dead. Akari stood there in horror. Not just because of what Hikari had done, but because this was exactly like her dream too. The dream she'd had just last night. 

Hikari was breathing heavily after completing the deed. 

"Hikari...."

Hikari took one look at Shou. Panic struck her once she realised what she had done. She put her hands to her mouth. 

"No.... it can't be.... I did this?! I.... I...."

"What is going on here?"  
Asami came downstairs. She took one look at her dead husband and recoiled.  
"AAAAHH! Shou! What happened?! Who.... Who did this?"  
She looked at Hikari, holding the blood stained broken bottle in her hands.  
"You....."

Hikari wasted no time. She grabbed Akari's hand and ran away, out of the house. Asami called after them in vain. The girls ran away, not even looking back.

The girls ran until they came to an alleyway. Hikari took Akari and they hid there.  
"We'll be safe here. They won't find us" said Hikari. She put her head in her hands and breathed heavily.  
"Hikari, are you alright?" asked Akari.  
"I...... killed our father! I've committed a murder! I'm a criminal now! A murderer! I'm a monster!"  
"No, no, it wasn't your fault. You were only trying to protect me!"  
Akari held her sister and tried to console her.  
"Yes, you were trying to protect me. It wasn't the best course of action but it wasn't your fault."  
"Soon enough, the police will get involved. Akari, I'm so sorry. Its true, I only wanted to protect you. But now, I've put you in danger as well."  
"No, you haven't! I'll be with you all the way! After all, we promised we'd always look out for each other!"  
Akari put her hands around Hikari's shoulders.  
"Hikari, you're my precious sister. I'll never leave you behind, no matter what."  
Hikari's breaths became slower and she began to calm down.  
"Thank you, Akari."  
Akari smiled at her.  
"The police will most definitely get involved", said Hikari. "We need to find a place to hide. And I know a place. Come on"

The girls went to an abandoned Church. The stained glass windows reflected the moonlight.  
"This place...... somehow feels familiar" said Akari.  
"This Church has been abandoned for a while" said Hikari. "No one has been here for ages. Some people say it is haunted. But I personally don't believe in ghosts. Anyways, its a good place for us to hide. No one would think of coming here."  
Akari just nodded. Hikari got on one of the benches.  
"I guess we'll have to sleep on these benches. Come on, Akari."  
Akari hesitantly got on the bench next to Hikari.  
"This place gives me an eerie feeling.... like I've somehow been here before" said Akari. "I think I've seen it in my dreams a few times."  
"Oh Akari, your dreams really are something else."  
"Hikari...."  
"Yeah?"  
"You know, last night I had a dream. In it, you murdered our father. And the reason you did it was because he hit me. It left me shocked, but I dismissed it as a dream. But now that it actually happened, I wonder...... could my dreams be prophetic?"  
"Well, I did read somewhere about prophetic dreams. Maybe that's the case with you. Wouldn't that be cool?"  
"Yeah, I guess."  
Akari's stomach grumbled.  
"Oh, I'm hungry."  
"Me too. But I guess we'll have to go without food today. I'll try to think of something tomorrow. For now, lets try to get some sleep. Goodnight, Akari."  
"Goodnight."

Akari found herself standing in a ruined city. Debris was flying. It was raining heavily. Buildings were ruined. The same creature from one of her previous dreams loomed over the sky, laughing maniacally. Another girl stood in front of the creature. She had long, black, flowing hair and wore a grey dress. She also had a strange gemstone on her arm and carried a shield. For some reason, Akari thought she looked familiar. She ran towards the girl.  
"Hey!"  
The girl stared back at her, her piercing glare stopping Akari in her tracks. Akari felt she had seen those dark eyes before  
"Who are you? And..... why do you look familiar?"  
"Stay out of the way" the girl said, her tone cold. She then jumped towards the creature while Akari tried running after her.  
"Wait! I need to talk to you!"

Akari suddenly woke up.  
"Another dream?" she thought. "That's strange. It was only a dream but.... why did that girl look familiar?"  
With this thought, she went back to sleep.

"Akari, wake up."  
Akari got up groggily and rubbed her eyes. The sunlight shined through the windows. She looked around and recalled the events of the previous night. So it had not just been a nightmare after all. Hikari was standing in front of her, a bag in her hand and her face covered with a hoodie.  
"I brought us some food. Lets eat."  
Hikari took out some fruits and they both ate.  
"Ahh, finally I have something to eat" said Akari. "Where did you get these?"  
"I..... took them" said Hikari.  
"You...... stole them?!"  
"It was the only way to get food" said Hikari. "I also stole this hoodie so I won't be recognized. I got one for you too. News of father's death has already gone out. Mother has testified against us. Now the police are looking for us."  
"I see. It would happen eventually" said Akari.  
"I guess now we can't go to school" said Hikari. "Yumegawa is a small town after all. Things spread quickly here."  
"That's sad. It means we won't get to go to the poetry club" said Akari.  
"Yes. I wonder what Yua-senpai and the others think of us now."

Suddenly, the environment changed. Instead of the Church, the girls found themselves in a strange place with bright colours.  
"Huh? Where are we? Where did the Church go?" asked Akari.  
"Stay behind me!" said Hikari.  
The two girls went forward. They found strange runes all over.  
"Maybe this is what people mean when they say this Church is haunted" said Akari.  
"Look over there!"  
Hikari pointed at a large creature that resembled a girl, except its face was covered. There were several, smaller creatures in front.  
"This..... it looks familiar" said Akari.  
Hikari moved forward and held a protective arm out. The smaller creatures lunged forward, towards the girls. They got on Hikari.  
"HIKARIII!!"  
Akari shook her to get the creatures off her.  
"Leave her alone!"  
The creatures got off Hikari.  
"Thank you. Lets be careful."  
More creature lunged towards them. They all had crosses in their hands. The girls went closer together and held hands. They were now completely surrounded.  
"Just what is this place?!" asked Hikari.  
"I don't know! I'm scared but somehow..... I feel I've been here before" said Akari.  
"What? When?"  
"I guess..... in my dreams. Its strange, but my dreams are starting to feel realer."  
The smaller creatures walked in circles around the girls, chanting a strange language. The larger one bent towards them. It had a cross in its hand. 

Suddenly, a rope came out of nowhere and tied the creature's hand, pulling it backwards. Akari and Hikari looked up and saw another girl swinging on the ropes. She had green hair, tied in pigtails and wore a dress with a green bow in the middle.  
"Hyaaa! How do you like that, Witch!" she exclaimed in a high pitched voice.  
Another girl came flying. She had long purple hair and wore a purple dress that resembled a tutu.  
"No way..... it can't be...." said Akari.  
The girl held a dancing ribbon with her - a purple staff with a ribbon at the end. She contributed in restraining the creature.  
"Hey, took you long enough to get here! I told you a Witch was the reason for this Church being haunted!" said the green haired girl.  
"Oh, Kazue. I told you not to go and fight Witches without me. We agreed to do this together" said the purple haired girl.  
"Oh! Sorry, Hinako! I just couldn't resist exploring!"  
Kazue gave a mischievous smile before taking out the smaller creatures with her ropes. She threw them away with her ropes. Hinako stabbed them with the sharp end of her staff and they disappeared.  
"The familiars are all done! Now for the real deal!" said Kazue. She eyes the larger creature - the Witch.  
The Witch screeched and hurled crosses at them. The two girls jumped out of the way. Then, they took notice of Akari and Hikari.  
"Kazue, we have to get those two out of there!" exclaimed Hinako.  
"Alright, leave it to me!"  
Kazue jumped towards the two girls.  
"You.... you're in our school" said Akari.  
"Ah yes, I think I've seen you two before" said Kazue. "I'm Kobayashi Kazue. Nice to meet you!"  
She took the two girls and led them out, away from the fighting.  
"Just stay here while we finish off the Witch, okay?" she said, smiling. Akari and Hikari nodded.

Kazue ran forward. Hinako was hurling the crosses away by dancing and using her ribbons.  
"Sweet ballet routine, Hinako!" said Kazue. She ran in front and trapped the Witch with her ropes. Hinako then hurled one of the crosses back at the Witch with her dancing ribbons. The Witch disappeared, and so did the strange place. 

The girls found themselves back in the Church.  
"Another job well done!" exclaimed Kazue. "Don't you say so, darling?"  
She looked at Hinako with sparkling eyes.  
"Next time, don't wander off by yourself" said Hinako.  
"Okay."  
"Funai-san, it really is you" said Hikari.  
"Oh my, you already recognized me?" asked Hinako.  
"Well duh! You're the richest girl in town after all, and everyone at school is in awe of you! Of course they'd recognize you!" exclaimed Kazue.  
"Why are you here? What is going on?" asked Hikari.  
"Sorry for causing you confusion" said Hinako. "The truth is, Kazue and I are magical girls. Our job is to hunt and fight Witches - like the one you just saw."  
"Magical.... girls? That sounds.... familiar" said Akari.  
"What do you mean?" asked Kazue.  
"I've..... seen magical girls..... in my dreams I think" said Akari.  
"Ah, I see" said Hinako. "Well, I have a favour to ask of you two. Could you keep this fact a secret from everyone? No one is supposed to know we are magical girls" said Hinako.  
"Sure, we won't tell anyone" said Hikari.  
"Hey, Hinako, these two look awfully familiar" said Kazue.  
"That's because they go to our school, Kazue. Anyways, don't tell anyone about what you saw, okay?" 

Kazue and Hinako then left.  
"Magical.... girls" Akari was still in awe. Why did that sound so familiar?  
"You know you can become like them" a voice said from behind. The girls saw a pair of glowing red eyes. On looking closer, they found it was a fluffy white creature. Akari visibly gasped - it was the same white creature from her dreams!  
"You're....." she began. "You were in my dreams!"  
"Is that so?" the creature asked. "How interesting. I'll have to look into this. But meanwhile, you both can become like those girls"  
"What do you mean?" asked Hikari.  
"Kobayashi Kazue and Funai Hinako made a contract with me to become magical girls. They were given magical powers in exchange for one wish. I granted them a wish, in exchange, they had to fight Witches. So that's what they do everyday."  
"So, we can become like them?" asked Hikari  
"Yes. My name is Kyubey. I've been watching you for some time. I see potential in you, Sonozaki Hikari and Sonozaki Akari. And now, with what Akari said, its even more interesting. So if you're interested, make a contract with me, and become a magical girl. To do that, you make a wish, any wish."  
"A..... wish?" asked Hikari.  
"Yes. Any wish. I can grant it, no matter what it is."

Hikari stepped forward.  
"Hikari?"  
"If what you say is true, then I...... I'll become a magical girl" said Hikari.  
"Great. Then, what is your wish, Sonozaki Hikari."  
Hikari took a deep breath and looked back at Akari.  
"Don't worry. I'm doing this for you" she said. Then she turned Kyubey. "I..... I wish we had a house where no one could see us."  
"Is that your wish?" asked Kyubey.  
"Yes. Please, grant it. Its what we need now, more than ever."  
A light formed on Hikari's chest. She clutched her chest and screamed.  
"Hikari!"  
The light came out and soon formed a yellow gemstone that landed in Hikari's arms.  
"Now, you're a magical girl. You must fight for your wish."


	2. Its my turn to protect you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: Attempted suicide

The house was like any other house - nice and cosy and it had all the facilities needed. Hikari opened the door and the girls went inside.  
"Wow.... this is amazing!" exclaimed Akari.  
"No one can see you here, but other magical girls" said Kyubey.  
"Kyubey, thank you" said Akari.  
"No need to thank me. I was just doing my job" said Kyubey.  
Hikari took a deep breath.  
"I have a good feeling about this" she said. "As long as we keep our guard up, no one can find us."  
"Do remember your part of the contract" said Kyubey. "You're a magical girl. So you have to fight Witches."  
"Yes, yes. I haven't forgotten."  
"Hikari, are you sure? You saw how dangerous that Witch was."  
"Don't worry about it" said Hikari. "I think I can handle it."  
She put her hands on Akari's shoulders.  
"Akari, there's no need for you to become a magical girl. I can handle the Witches myself."

Later on, Hikari went to get some food for them. Akari went to the bedroom. There were two beds, just like her own room, and two study desks. There was also a window. Akari sat down on the desk and began to sketch something. Kyubey came inside the room.  
"You aren't going to become a magical girl, right?" he asked.  
"I would like to become one to help Hikari, but I don't really know what I'd wish for."  
She drew her sister in the book.  
"Hikari has always protected me, ever since we were little. She'd take father's beatings for me. At times she'd get really hurt but she didn't care as long as I was safe. We're twins but Hikari acts more like an older sister. I've always relied o her. For once I wish I could help her instead."  
"You can help her by becoming a magical girl" said Kyubey.  
"I would but Hikari told me there's no need to" said Akari. "Besides like I said, I don't know what I'd wish for. Do you have any suggestions?"  
"Well, its not my place to tell someone what they should wish for" said Kyubey. "But in case you ever change your mind, you can come to me. I can make your wish come true, whatever it is."

Akari finished what she was sketching - a drawing of herself and Hikari. 

"Yes, I'd like to help her for once" she said.

Meanwhile, Hikari was at the grocery store. She wore a hoodie and took some food. She tried to stealthily make her way out. Unfortunately, someone spotted her.  
"Aaah! That thief is stealing food!" a woman pointed out.  
Hikari ran and people began chasing her. She ran until she found an alleyway and went inside. The people chasing her wondered where she went and split up to search for her. When they were all out of sight, Hikari breathed a sigh of relief. She slowly made her way out. On the way, she saw a news broadcast. Her and Akari's faces were on the TV.  
"We are looking into the murder of Sonozaki Shou. According to his wiffe, Sonozaki Asami-san, Shoui-san was murdered by his daughters, Akari and Hikari, who promptly ran away. The police are on the lookout for these two girls."  
"Akari had nothing to do with it. I was the one who murdered him" Hikari whispered. Then she made her way back to the house. 

"I'm home" she said.  
"Welcome back" said Akari. "What have you got?"  
Hikari put the food on the table.  
"I've gotten hamburgers. So we can have hamburger steak for dinner today" said Hikari. "I was almost caught but I escaped."  
"Its really dangerous. You may actually get caught one day" said Akari.  
"It can't be helped" Hikari reasoned. "We have no money and the police is on the lookout for us so we have no other choice."

That night, Hikari made the hamburger steaks for herself and Akari for dinner. She even kept a small portion for Kyubey. She set up the table and laid the plates.  
"Alright, lets eat" said Hikari.  
The girls began to eat.  
"This is delicious" said Akari.  
"Its good to eat dinner without any drama for once" said Hikari.  
Kyubey was also eating away at his portion.  
"Hikari..... can I tell you something?"  
"Sure, what is it?"  
"You're always doing these really dangerous things for me. Like, getting us food, avoiding getting caught, becoming a magical girl. And you've always protected me. So for once, I..... I want to do something for you. So..."  
"You want to become a magical girl?"  
"...... Yeah, I don't quite know what to wish for, but still."  
"Oh, Akari. I'm fine. If its you, I'll be willing to do anything."  
Hikari had a warm smile on her face.  
"I told you, you don't need to become a magical girl. Its dangerous work. I'll fight the Witches myself."  
"Exactly, its dangerous. That's why I want to help!"  
"Akari, its fine. I don't want to do anything that would make you get hurt."  
"But, what if you-"  
"I'll be fine, I promise" Hikari smiled. "I promised I'd protect you, and I'll go through with that promise."

That night, Hikari went Witch hunting for the first time. Akari requested to accompany her, but Hikari asked her to stay at home as she did not want Akari getting hurt.  
"I'll be fine, I promise" said Hikari.  
"You could be killed" said Akari.  
"No, I'll be careful. The WItch won't get me. I promise. You stay here. I don't want you getting in danger."  
"Good luck, Hikari."  
"Thank you."

Hikari then went out to hunt Witches. Kyubey accompanied her. Akari sighed and went into her room. She took out her notebook and began sketching.  
"I wish Hikari didn't try to do everything herself" said Akari. "I'm scared she might get hurt someday."

Hikari was walking along the road, disguised in a hoodie. She had her Soul Gem in her hand.  
"Your Soul Gem can detect when a Witch is nearby" said Kyubey. "You'll know when you're near one."  
"Shh. Be quiet."  
Hikari pointed to some police cars in front of her.  
"Don't worry. They can't see me. Only magical girls can see me" said Kyubey.  
"Oh. That's pretty convenient. But I can't let those policemen see me. Come on."  
Hikari went to another path in order to dodge them. Her Soul Gem began to glow.  
"I can feel something" said Hikari. "I think a Witch is nearby."

She ran towards the direction in which the Soul Gem guided her. She ended up going into an office building.  
"This is strange.... is there really a Witch here?"  
"Soul Gems are never wrong about that" said Kyubey. "Just follow it."  
Hikari went to the topmost floor and found a woman leaning on the window. She had a strange symbol on her neck.  
"Don't tell me she..."  
Hikari ran into action as soon as the woman jumped. She immediately transformed into her magical girl self. She now had a yellow dress and a cape. Her Soul Gem was on her chest. Without thinking, she jumped down and caught the woman. She ended up falling on her feet. Hikari laid the woman down. She then ran back into the office. When she was at the topmost floor, she came across a strange place, much like the one she had seen before in the Church.  
"This is a Witch's barrier" said Kyubey. "Its where the Witch hides."  
Hikari nodded and went further inside. She found many strange, small creatures, much like the ones from before.  
"They're familiars, right?" asked Hikari.  
"Right" Kyubey replied. "And that's the Witch."  
Hikari looked up at a creature in the form of a giant desk. There were runes everywhere.  
"So.... that's our Witch, huh? Okay, its time to attack!"

The familiars all lunged towards her. Hikari managed to dodge them.  
"Hikari, summon your weapon!" said Kyubey.  
Hikari closed her eyes. A giant key appeared in her hands.  
"This is my weapon? A giant house key?" asked Hikari.  
"Its what you were given. Now, use it to attack the familiars!"  
Hikari swung her key around. The familiars were hit and pushed back.  
"Wow. That worked."  
She ran forward, swinging her key around.  
"Behind you!" Kyubey exclaimed.  
A few familiars jumped behind her. Hikari impulsively swung her key in a semicircle. She ended up creating a barrier which the familiars couldn't reach.  
"Wow. This is amazing" said Hikari.  
She ran forward, defeating more familiars armed with her key. Then, she looked at her target - the Witch.  
The Witch threw drawers at her. Hikari jumped over them and swung her key again to slice them. Unfortunately, one of them ended up hitting her and she lost the barrier around her. She ended up letting go of her key.  
"No!"  
Familiars now surrounded her. But she wouldn't give up easily. She stood up and tried to fight them off the best she could. She punched and kicked them away. Then she wan towards her key. A familiar had already got it and threw it away.  
"NO!"  
Hikari ran after it and managed to catch it just in time. She then looked at the familiars, a fire in her eyes. She lunged forward, screaming. She created a barrier for herself with the key again. She swung them and defeated all of the familiars she could find. She then had her eye on the Witch. She once again ran towards it in an attempt to defeat it. The Witch tried the same thing, hurling drawers and papers at her. Hikari jumped on top of them. She looked at the pins at the end of her key and summoned many of them. She then hurled them at the Witch. It managed to hit the Witch.  
"Yes! I've got it!" Hikari exclaimed. She jumped up again and struck the Witch, delivering the finishing blow. 

The labyrinth disappeared and soon, she was back in the office building. She detransformed out of her magical girl outfit. A small, round, black object fell to the floor. Hikari picked it up.  
"That is a Grief Seed" said Kyubey. "Its what you get after defeating a Witch. You can use it to purify your Soul Gem. Like now. Take a look at your Soul Gem."  
Hikari looked at her soul gem. Some black impurities were present.  
"There's something black here" she said.  
"Those are impurities after you use magic. Now, touch the Grief Seed to your Soul Gem."  
Hikari did what Kyubey told her to. The impurities soon went to the Grief Seed and her Soul Gem was fully yellow again.  
"Wow. This is amazing" said Hikari.  
"You must make sure your Soul Gem isn't completely darkened" said Kyubey.  
"Sure. Being a magical girl actually isn't that hard. I think I can handle this." 

Hikari went out of the building. She noticed the woman she had saved coming to.  
"Oh.... what happened?"  
Hikari went towards her.  
"What happened to me?" the woman asked her.  
"You fainted here" said Hikari. "I think you should get some rest."  
"Ah, okay. Thank you. But.... why do you look familiar?"  
"Oh, I don't know. I don't think I've met you before. I have to go now. Goodbye."

Hikari got away as soon as she could.  
"Gosh, I really should be careful" she said. 

Meanwhile, in the house, Akari was busy sketching. She sighed and looked out of the window, at the full moon.  
"Hikari..... I wonder if you're alright."  
She heard the door opening and immediately ran downstairs.  
"I'm home" said Hikari.  
Hikari! Thank goodness you're okay. How was.... being a magical girl?"  
"A bit challenging, but not as hard as I thought it would be. I think I can handle this."  
"Are you sure?" asked Akari.  
"I am" Hikari replied with confidence. "Don't worry. There's no need to be a magical girl, like I said. I'll take care of the Witches myself."

The next day, Hikari was making breakfast. Akari also helped her out.  
"Hikari.... I want to ask you something."  
"What is it, Akari?"  
"I know its dangerous for me but.... can I go to the grocery store to get food this time? I know stealing is wrong and I do feel bad but... if I can't become a magical girl, its the least I can do to help you. So please....."  
"I can tell you, it isn't good to do things all by yourself. Having someone to help is ideal" Kyubey said.  
Hikari considered for a while.  
"Alright. But you must be careful. As you know, the police is on the lookout for us, so you can't get caught. I'll give you my hoodie. Just make sure no one recognizes you."  
"Yes! I'm glad to help you in any way possible."

So that night, Akari wore the hoodie Hikari gave her. She and Kyubey set off to the grocery store.  
"I'm off!" Akari said.  
"Be careful!" said Hikari. 

Akari put on the cap of her hoodie and went to the grocery store.  
"I'm actually nervous" she said. "I've never stolen before and I'm hesitant to. I don't agree with stealing but, we have no choice."  
"I think it will be fine" said Kyubey.  
"Hikari has always done everything for me. I want to do something for her too. I don't want to always be dependent on her" said Akari. 

Soon, they reached the grocery store. Just before it was about to close, she went inside.  
"Hikari said I need to get some vegetables for dinner" said Akari. "Come on."  
Kyubey went ahead to the vegetable section.  
"Its over here" he said.  
Akari went over. She took a bag and put a few vegetables inside. She then went to the fruits section and took some apples.  
"I think that's all" she whispered. "Is anyone there?"  
Kyubey looked around.  
"No one is around."  
"Good. Then I can get out of here."  
Akari exited through the back exit. But unfortunately for her, a policewoman saw the whole thing.  
"Hey, did you see that?! That girl just shoplifted!"  
"Akari, run!" Kyubey exclaimed.

Akari began to run.  
"Hey! Come back here!"  
The policewoman and her partner gave Akari a chase. She ran as fast as her feet could take her. Then suddenly, she tripped and fell. The cap of her hoodie fell off.  
"Got you!"  
Akari looked at her. The policewoman was taken aback at her.  
"Wait you are.... Sonozaki Akari!"  
Akari wasted no time. She immediately got on her feet and ran.  
"Hey! Come back here!"  
The policewoman gave her another chase. After a while, she saw more policemen chasing after her.  
"Oh no! She must have called for backup!" Akari exclaimed.  
"Akari, go over there!" Kyubey exclaimed, directing her to a crowded place. "Its a good place to hide. You can get lost in the crowd."  
"Okay. If you say so."  
Akari went into the crowd Kyubey directed her at and got lost in the crowd of people. The police tried to find her among all of the people. 

"Just keep a low profile" said Kyubey. "That way they won't be able to find you."  
Akari put on her hoodie.  
"I can't believe Hikari has to go through this. Its so dangerous. And yet she's doing it for me."  
"All Hikari wants to do is protect you" said Kyubey.  
"I know. For once, I want to do something for her."

The police were still looking for Akari.  
"I think we've lost them" said Kyubey. "We can go home now."  
Akari was almost ready to head home, when she found a familiar looking figure walking in a strange, entranced manner - it was Yua!  
"Hey that's.... Yua-senpai!" Akari exclaimed.  
"Akari, what are you doing?" asked Kyubey. But Akari was already rushing forward.  
"Heeey, Yua-senpai!"  
Yua looked back at Akari. There was a strange symbol on her neck.  
"Yua-senpai, its good to see you. Um... hey, what's that on your neck?"  
"Its a Witch's Kiss!" Kyubey told her. "A Witch has planted a curse on her. Now she's going to kill herself."  
Akari's face changed expression once she was told this.  
"Hello Akari-chan, long time no see", Yua spoke in a slow, entranced manner.  
"We're going to do something special. Me, Kirari-chan, Momoko-chan. You can come too."  
Yua took her hand and led her away.  
"Yua-senpai, where are you going?"

Yua led them to an abandoned school building. The lights flickered on and off. Soon, they were in a classroom where the benches and desks were scattered. Standing there, were Kirari and Momoko.  
"This school is...." Akari began.  
"That's right. The haunted school building of Yumegawa!" Yua said, sounding delighted. "It is said many students took their own life here and the building is haunted with their spirits!"

"This is definitely a Witch at play!" Kyubey told her telepathically. "We need to get Hikari here."  
"You go and find Hikari. I'll see what I can do to help Yua-senpai and the others" Akari said, also telepathically.  
"Right."  
Kyubey then walked off. 

"Oh, this is such a great place for our ritual!" Yua said. "Almost all of us is here! How I wish Hikari-chan could join us."  
"Ritual? What.... ritual?" asked Akari.  
"You'll see" Kirari said. "Momoko-chan, bring the bucket in."  
"Yes."

Momoko brought a bucket filled with gasoline. She poured it all over the place. Then, Kirari took a match. Akari's eyes widened.  
"Wait... don't tell me you'll...."  
"Soon, we'll be free from our despair" said Yua. "The whole poetry club.... we can be... together.... in another world. Isn't that nice, Akari-chan? We can be together with no one ever bothering us?"  
"Yua-senpai, what do you mean?"  
"Akari-chan, I know you and Hikari-chan can't come to school because of what happened. But if we do this, we can be together. Isn't it wonderful? How I wish Hikari-chan was here too? We can be free in another world, where we can write poems and eat baked goods all we want!"  
"No! I won't let you go through with this! Don't you see what you're doing?! You're going to burn yourselves alive!"  
"Exactly!" said Yua. "But this pain is only a part of being free."  
Yua went and took Akari's hands.  
"We can be together, Akari-chan. You won't have to worry about anything."  
"No... NO!"  
Akari withdrew both her hands.  
"I won't let you hurt yourselves like this!"  
Akari ran forward and grabbed the matchsticks from Kirari's hands. Then she ran towards the window to throw it out, but slipped on the gasoline and fell on a bench. The match landed next to her. Yua, Kirari and Momoko walked towards her slowly.  
"Akari-chan... won't you join us?" asked Yua.  
"What is wrong with you guys? Please snap out of it!" Akari pleaded tearfully. "You're not being yourselves. Please."  
She took the matches.  
"Akari-chan, give me the matches" Kirari said in a threatening manner Akari had never heard before.  
"No! I won't! Please stop this nonsense!" exclaimed Akari.  
"Then we'll kill you too" exclaimed Momoko.  
The girls moved slowly towards her with their hands out. Akari put her hands over her head. 

Suddenly, something hit all of them, rendering them unconscious. Akari looked to see Hikari and Kyubey.  
"Akari, are you alright?"  
Hikari ran towards her, but also slipped on gasoline and fell.  
"Hikari!"  
Akari walked towards her.  
"I'm alright" she said. "I can't believe this Witch would target Yua-senpai and the others. I feel like beating it up right now!"  
Hikari took her key and stood in position, ready. 

The environment changed. The classroom changed into a labyrinth. There were papers everywhere. The familiars were benches and desks. The Witch was a giant test paper with an F- written in red ink.  
"So, that's our Witch" said Hikari. "Stand back, Akari! I'm going to show her not to mess with our friends!"

Akari and Kyubey went and hid. Hikari ran into action. She created a barrier with her key. Then, she summoned the pins of the key and attacked the familiars. She slashed her key and eliminated the familiars one by one.  
"Hikari! Behind you!" Akari shouted.  
A familiar was behind her, with the leg of a chair in its hand. Hikari eliminated it immediately. She ran forward eliminating the familiars in her way.  
"Hikari is getting surprisingly good, even though she only became a magical girl yesterday" Kyubey commented. Akari just looked on, hoping Hikari wouldn't get hurt.  
Hikari still slashed her key around. When all the familiars were eliminated, she eyes the Witch.  
"I'll show you what happens when you mess with my friends" Hikari said.  
She jumped up, hey key in her hand. But the Witch hurled a giant red F at her. It hit Hikari and she fell down.  
"HIKARI!"  
Akari tried to go and help her but Hikari held her hand out to signal her to stay where she was.  
"I won't give up that easily."  
Hikari stood up. The Witch fired many F's at her. She deflected all of them with her key. She then jumped up again. The Witch again fired many of its weapons at her. One of them hit her again. This time, she let go of her key. It landed a few feet from her. She tried to get up to get the key, but was hit by another one of the Witch's weapons. They continuously hit her.  
"HIKARI, NOO!"  
The Witch then reached out and grabbed Hikari, tightening its grasp and crushing her.  
"HIKARIIII!"  
"I will not.... give up..." Hikari said. 

Akari put her hands to her mouth as Hikari was crushed.  
"No.... No... Stop that.... STOP THAT! STOP HURTING HIKARI!!!"  
She went forward, to the Witch.  
"Akari.... don't..."  
Akari shook her head.  
"Hikari, all this time you've always protected me and looked out for me. Now, I want to look out for you! Kyubey!"  
Kyubey came to Akari.  
"Kyubey, I've decided my wish! I'm going to be a magical girl!"  
"Have you? And what is your wish, Sonozaki Akari?"  
"I wish I was strong enough to protect Hikari too, instead of always being protected by her! I want to look out for her too! Because, that's the least I can do!"  
"Is that truly your wish?"  
"Yes! Now please, grant my wish!"  
A pink light appeared in her chest. Akari clutched her chest and whimpered as the light manifested into her Soul Gem. It then floated into her arms.  
"This is..."  
"Your Soul Gem. Now, you're a magical girl. You must fight for your wish!"  
Akari nodded.  
"Hikari, you've always been the one to bear the burden of everything. But you don't have to do that anymore. Now, its my turn to protect you!"  
Akari put her Soul Gem forward and transformed. She got a poofy, pink dress with white frills. Her Soul Gem rested in the center of her bow.  
"Akari..."

The Witch fired a barrage of giant, red F's at Akari. Akari dodged them with precision.  
"Wow, I'm amazing" she said.  
"Summon your weapon!" exclaimed Kyubey.  
Akari closed her eyes and summoned her weapon - a shield. Once again, more weapons were fired at her. Akari raised her shield and deflected all of them.  
"I won't let you hurt Hikari, or our friends!" exclaimed Akari.  
"She summoned multiple shields and put them all around her, making it impossible to reach her. She then took one of them and threw it at the Witch. It hit the Witch and caused it to drop Hikari. Akari jumped to catch her.  
"Akari..."  
"Its fine now."  
She then looked at the Witch. She then increased the size of her shield and threw it at the Witch. It was the final blow. The Witch disappeared and so did the Labyrinth. 

The girls were detransformed and back in the classroom. A Grief Seed fell down, which Akari picked up.  
"That's a Grief Seed" said Hikari. "You use it to purify your Soul Gem after you use magic."  
Akari looked at her Soul Gem. It had some impurities. She touched the Grief Seed to the Soul Gem. The impurities disappeared.  
"Yes, like that" said Hikari.  
"I'm a magical girl now!" said Akari. "Now we can fight together!"  
"Yes. Maybe I took too much of the burden to myself. It would be nice, fighting together."  
"Yes!"

Meanwhile, Yua, Kirari and Momoko were coming to.  
"Where are we?" asked Yua.  
"What were we doing?" asked Kirari.  
"Yua-senpai! Kirari-chan! Momoko-chan! Are you all okay?" asked Akari.  
"Akari-chan. Hikari-chan. Its you guys" said Yua.  
"What are we even doing here?" asked Momoko.  
"Wait.... this is the haunted school building of Yumegawa! But why are we here?" asked Kirari.  
"And more importantly...."  
Yua looked at Akari and Hikari.  
"What is going on with you guys?"  
Akari and Hikari took a few steps back.  
"We heard the news" said Momoko. "At first we couldn't believe it. We still can't. Its not true, right? You guys would never do anything like that!"  
"Momoko-chan, we...." Hikari began.  
"Did you guys really do it?" asked Kirari. "People get falsely accused all the time. Did you actually do it?"  
Akari and Hikari looked at each other. They remained silent for a while.  
"So you did" said Kirari. "But.... why?"  
Yua took a few steps forward  
"Akari-chan.... Hikari-chan.... what are you hiding from us?"


	3. What could these strange dreams mean?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter

_"Akari-chan.... Hikari-chan.... what are you hiding from us?"_

The girls all stared at each other for a few moments. Yua, Momoko and Kirari were shaken up. They couldn't believe that they would be capable of murder  
Akari was about to speak, but Hikari got in front.  
"Yua-senpai, Kirari-chan, Momoko-chan, I'm sorry. The truth is, we've been hiding a few things from you."  
"You can't tell them you're a magical girl" Kyubey told them telepathically. "That has to remain a secret."  
"I won't tell them that" Hikari replied telepathically.  
"What were you hiding all this time?" asked Yua.  
"I'll tell you" said Hikari. "No more secrets. Its time you guys learned the truth..... about our parents."

Hikari told them everything about their parents - how their mother would verbally berate them, how their father was an alcoholic and would often beat them, how Hikari took most of the beatings to protect Akari. She told them they would go several days without dinner and she had to sneak in food. She then told them about the day of the fateful murder - how she saw red because their father had hurt Akari. 

"I was the one who killed him" she said. "Akari had nothing to do with it. And yet, instead of protecting her, I put her in danger too."  
"Hikari..."  
"Hikari bowed towards Yua.  
"I'm deeply sorry, once again, for hiding this from you all. The Poetry Club was our only safe space. And now.... we may lose that too. I don't blame you if you hate us now."  
"Hikari-chan......"  
Yua walked forward and put her hand on Hikari's back.  
"You guys have been suffering in silence for a long time and we didn't even know. I'm sorry for being so harsh on you."  
"We didn't want to worry you guys, that's why we didn't tell you" said Akari.  
"Akari-san and Hikari-san were suffering so much" said Momoko. "And we didn't know. I'm soooo sorry."  
Momoko bowed.  
"Momoko-chan, you have nothing to apologize for" said Akari.  
"We want you to know, when this news first broke out, we couldn't believe it" said Kirari. "But, deep down, we knew what kind of people you were. We thought that even if you did kill your father, you may have had your reasons. The Poetry Club never stopped believing in you guys."  
"You guys..... thank you" Akari said tearfully. "We still have friends after all."  
"You know, the Poetry Club simply isn't the same without our favourite twins" said Yua. "We know you guys can't come to school. that's why, we'll come to you instead. Where do you stay now anyways? We'll come there for our Poetry Club meeting"  
"Everyone.... you're so...."  
Hikari had tears in her eyes. Akari and the others went to comfort her.  
"Now, now. Friends always look out for each other, don't they? The Poetry Club can still be your safe place."  
"We won't tell anyone we saw you" said Momoko.  
"Alright. I'll take you to where we stay now."

Hikari and Akari took the girls to the abandoned Church. They couldn't take them to the house as normal people couldn't see it.  
"Wait, you stay.... here?" asked Kirari.  
"Yep. We have no other place to stay" said Hikari.  
"But this is.... Yumegawa's old Church building" said Momoko.  
"Isn't this place haunted? How do you sleep with all the ghosts?" asked Yua.  
"There are no ghosts" said Akari.  
"This is so cool" said Kirari.  
"So we can have our Poetry Club meetings here. Its like a secret hideout or something. I love this!" said Yua.  
"Well, it IS our secret hideout" said Akari.  
"Alright everyone. Tomorrow, we're meeting here" said Yua. "Make sure to bring your poems."  
"But, the ghosts..." began Momoko.  
"Momoko-chan, I told you, there ARE no ghosts here. That's just a tale that's told. You don't have to worry" said Akari  
"Yes. And even if there are ghosts, we'll face them together, because that's what the Poetry Club does!" said Yua.  
"YES!"  
The girls all put their hands forward.  
"Then its settled. Lets meet here tomorrow" said Yua.  
Everyone agreed and soon, the girls were off.

Hikari and Akari then went inside their real home.  
"Its too bad they can't see this place" said Hikari.  
"Yeah. I would've loved to show this off" said Akari.  
"So, are we writing our poems?" asked Hikari.  
"Of course! There's no excuse for not writing" said Akari. "And..... I think I've found out what I want to write about."  
"Yes, me too" said Hikari. "Now, lets get to work."

The girls went to their rooms and got to work on their desks. Soon, they were done.  
"Are you done with your poem?" asked Akari.  
"Yeah" said Hikari. "Do you want to read it?"  
"Nah, I'll wait till tomorrow. I like to be surprised."  
"I see. Well, its about time we went to bed. Good night."  
"Good night Hikari. Goodnight Kyubey."  
The girls turned off the lights and went to bed. 

Akari found herself in the same place she'd seen in her dreams before. The sky was grey, debris was floating, and a strange creature was flying in the sky - a Witch, perhaps. She found another girl standing and watching everything. She had pink hair, like Akari, tied in twintails by a red ribbon and was wearing a school uniform. Akari felt she had seen this girl before. She walked up to her.  
"Um...."  
The girl looked at Akari.  
"Why are you out here?" she asked. "Its dangerous. You should be in the shelter."  
"But you're out here too" said Akari.  
"That's because I'm looking for a friend" the other girl replied.  
"A friend?"  
"Yes. She's trying her best to save everyone here, but I can't help but feel she's hurting herself. She's taking on the burden for herself but its too much for her. I want to help her but she doesn't let me."  
"I see. I know how you feel" said Akari.  
"What? You have someone like that too?"  
"Yes. She is my sister. We're twins but she insists on doing everything herself to protect me. Sometimes, I fear its too much for her."  
"I see."  
"So, I'll help you find your friend."  
The girl smiled.  
"Yeah. Lets find her."  
The two girls then held hands and ran forward.

"Akari, its time to wake up."  
Akari sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes. Her dream was still in her mind. That pink-haired girl - who was she and why did she look so familiar? She went to the kitchen, where Hikari was preparing breakfast.  
"Need any help?" she asked.  
"Yeah. You can set the table" said Hikari.  
"Sure."  
Akari began arranging the table. Kyubey also came into the kitchen too.  
"Good morning, Kyubey."  
He just sat down near the table. Hikari finished preparing breakfast and set it on the table. She even gave Kyubey a portion.  
"Now, lets eat!"  
The girls and Kyubey ate their breakfast.  
"That was good" said Akari.  
"I'm glad you liked it" said Hikari.  
"We have a meeting with the Poetry Club later, at the church" said Akari.  
"Yeah, I remember. Lets go down there later."

Later on, the girls took their poems and went to the Church. Yua, Kirari and Momoko soon walked through the doors.  
"Yua-senpai! Kirari-chan! Momoko-chan!"  
"Well, if it isn't our favourite twins!" said Yua.  
The girls all scrambled together for a group hug.  
"The Poetry Club is complete again" said Yua.  
"I swear, its been boring without you guys" said Kirari. "And people are suggesting we find new members."  
"We can't just replace you guys, you know" said Momoko.  
"That's really sweet" said Akari. "But its unlikely that we'll come back to school, so finding new members seems like the best thing."  
"Nuh-uh" Yua said, wagging her finger. "No one can replace the Sonozaki twins ever!"  
"You're our favourite twins for a reason" said Kirari.  
"You guys...."  
Hikari blushed, feeling touched by the Poetry Club's love for them.  
"Anyways, lets start the meeting. Have you all written your poems?" asked Yua.  
"Yes!"  
"Alright,lets read them out! I'll go first!"

The girls all took turns to read out their poems. All of them were praised once they finished.  
"You all did amazing!" said Yua. "Now, who wants some snacks?"  
Yua opened her box which was fulled with cookies. She gave some to each of the girls. They all enjoyed it.  
"Mmm. This is delicious" said Hikari.  
"Thank you. I'm getting better at baking" said Yua.  
"Soon you'll be a pro" said Kirari.  
"Oh come on. Its not that easy" Yua said blushing.

"But you're doing it really well" said Momoko.  
"Ah, I'm not as good as my mother though" said Yua, blushing. 

"You know, I had a strange dream last night" said Yua. "I was on a mountain of cookies and sweets! How strange is that!"  
The other girls started laughing.  
"It must have been a nice dream" said Kirari.  
Akari remembered her dream from the previous night. The pink haired girl.... just who was she?  
"I have really strange dreams too" said Akari. She then told the others about her dream.  
"Wow, that's really cryptic" said Kirari.  
"Who exactly was that girl?" asked Yua.  
"I don't know, but somehow, I feel I've seen her before" said Akari.  
"If she's in your dream, it means you must have met her before" said Momoko.  
"But I've never met her."  
"That's really strange" said Yua.  
"And that's not the only strange dream I've had. The night before Hikari....... killed our father, I had a dream about it. It happened the same way it did the night after."  
"That's so creepy" said Momoko.  
"Maybe what you've been having are prophetic dreams" said Kirari. "Dreams that predict the future."  
"But how is that possible?" asked Akari.  
"I don't know" said Hikari. "But it sure is mysterious."  
"And that girl in your dream.... maybe you'll meet her soon" said Yua.  
"Yeah.... maybe I will" said Akari. "But it is strange. Why am I having these prophetic dreams?"  
"I don't know. It really is a mystery" said Yua.  
"But its super interesting too" said Momoko.  
"Hey, Akari-chan, can you dream that I manage to pass my math test next time?" asked Yua.  
"Yua-senpai, you know people can't just control what they dream about" said Kirari.  
"I know, but maybe if Akari-chan dreams it, it will happen. I'm desperate here!" said Yua. 

After a while, the girls all said goodbye to each other and went to their respective homes.

"Your dreams really are strange" said Hikari. "But, why are you having prophetic dreams?"  
"I don't know" said Hikari. "And I don't know why the girls I meet in my dreams seem familiar, even though I've never met them."  
"Dreams are surely a strange phenomenon" said Kyubey. "But they're fascinating as well."  
"That girl in my dream..... could she have been a magical girl?"  
Akari went to her room and got out her sketchbook. She drew the girl she had seen in her dream, then went down to show it to Kyubey.  
"Kyubey, you say you make contracts with girls and turn them into magical girls. So, do you recognize her? Have you ever made a contract with her?"  
Kyubey took a look at the drawing.  
"She does look familiar" said Kyubey. "Yes.... yes, I remember. She's Kaname Madoka from Mitakihara City. I've been trying to make a contract with her recently."  
"Kaname Madoka huh? Why is she appearing in my dreams?"  
"Maybe you've met her before and don't remember" said Kyubey.  
"I haven't" said Akari. "I wonder why I have these dreams. What could these strange dreams mean?"

That night, Akari and Hikari went out to hunt Witches again. They put on their cloaks.  
"This is our first time hunting Witches together. We need to be careful" said Hikari.  
"Yeah" said Akari.

They followed their Soul Gems to the Witch's Labyrinth. On the way, they had to avoid patrol officers. They ran and hid in alleyways and tried to find shortcuts. Finally, Akari's Soul Gem picked something up.  
"I feel something" she said.  
"Yeah, me too" said Hikari. "Its over there! Lets go!"  
They followed their Soul Gem until they came to an alleyway. There, they found a Labyrinth.  
"This is it! Lets transform!" said Hikari. 

The girls transformed into magical girls. The familiars attacked them. Akari put up shields. Hikari summoned her keys. She swung it around and defeated familiars. Akari defended her with shields while she did so. She also threw some of them at the familiars, defeating them.  
"We're really getting the hang of this" said Hikari. "Come on, a few more left."  
They continued to defeat the familiars, until there were none left. Then, they turned to the Witch.  
"I defeated the Witch last time, so this time you can do it" said Akari.  
"Yeah, sure" Hikari replied. "Cover for me."  
Akari nodded and summoned shields in front of Hikari. Hikari created a barrier around herself with her key. She then jumped up. But the Witch hurled something at her that that broke Akari's shield and threw her down.  
"Hikari!"  
"I'm alright! We can try again."  
She jumped up again and summoned pins that rained on the Witch. However, it didn't affect the Witch. Instead, it used its power to hurl them right back at the girls. Hikari managed to land on her feet this time.  
"This Witch is strong" said Hikari. "We'll need to work together. Akari, summon as many shields as you can."  
"Yeah."  
Akari summoned multiple shields. Hikari summoned pins. They hurled it at the Witch. It managed to land a few hits, but not enough to defeat it.  
"No good" said Hikari.  
More familiars appeared behind them.  
"What? I thought we defeated the familiars!" said Hikari.  
The familiars surrounded them. 

Suddenly, a rope appeared out of nowhere and tied the familiars. The girls saw Kazue and Hinako running into the barrier.  
"All you familiars will fall in LOVE!" exclaimed Kazue. She held her rope tighter and hearts began floating. The familiars' eyes turned to hearts. They looked at each other.  
"Kazue-san! Hinako-san!"  
"Wow, its you guys again! And you're magical girls too" said Kazue.  
"Pleased to meet you again" said Hinako.  
She summoned a dancing ribbon and went towards the Witch. Then, she began to dance. The Witch tried to hurl some objects at her. Hinako tied it with her dancing ribbon. A purple aura floated around it and soon, the Witch was dancing along with Hinako.  
Hikari meanwhile defeated all the familiars while they were distracted.  
The Witch danced till it was tired.  
"Now!" Hinako exclaimed.  
Akari threw shields at the Witch while Hikari ran forward and slashed it with her key. 

The labyrinth disappeared and a Grief Seed fell down.  
"You can have that" said Hinako. "You delivered the final blow after all."  
Hikari picked up the Grief Seed.  
"Thank... you" she said.  
"Hey, since we're all magical girls, we could become a team" said Kazue.  
"That sounds like a great idea" Akari agreed.  
"Yes. And we need more people to defeat Walpurgisnacht anyway" said Hinako.  
"Walpurgisnacht?"  
"The most powerful Witch" said Hinako. "It is said she is so powerful that she doesn't need a barried. Everywhere she goes, she brings destruction. One magical girl alone isn't enough to defeat her. The best chance we have is a team."  
Akari suddenly thought back to her dream - the Witch flyring above the city, the floating debris, the destruction.  
"No way" she whispered. "I think.... I dreamed about Walpurgisnacht"  
"You did?" asked Kazue. "That's strange."  
"Yes. And that's not all. Apparently, I have prophetic dreams. But I don't know why."  
"Prophetic dreams huh? That's surely interesting" said Hinako. "Anyhow, what do you say to teaming up with us?"  
"We don't mind" said Hikari. "We may need help anyway."  
'Then its settled! We're a team!" said Kazue. She brought the girls' hands together.  
"We'll do our best as magical girls and soon, defeat Walpurgisnacht" she said. 

The girls soon went to their respective homes.  
"Walpurgisnacht huh?" Hikari said. "Is she really that powerful?"  
"In my dreams, she always floats over a destroyed city, so she may be that powerful" said Akari. "In any case, we need to devise ways to beat her."  
"I see. I don't quite know why you have these dreams, but, if you get one of Walpurgisnacht tonight, do tell me."  
"Yeah. And..... come to think about it, I may have had dreams where I've seen Kazue-san and Hinako-san."  
"Really?"  
"Yes. It just gets more confusing."  
"So, what are you going to do?" asked Hikari.  
"I guess the only thing to do is to find the meaning behind my dreams and why I'm getting them."


	4. We really do make a great team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AFTER SO LONG, ITS FINALLY DONE! Sorry to keep you all waiting, but here it is! Chapter 4 of Puella Magi Akari Magica. Hope you all enjoy this. 
> 
> No warnings for this chapter

Akari found herself in the same city as her previous dreams. The city was in the same state as before, destroy with debris floating all over. The Witch hovered above - she was none other than Walpurgisnacht. Akari inched forward. She saw another girl, jumping towards Walpurgisnacht. She had long, dark hair and bore a round shield. She was definitely a magical girl, Akari thought. She used bazookas to try and defeat Walpurgisnacht. But all her methods ultimately failed as she was thrown back. Despite her injuries, she stood up. Akari went towards her.  
"Haven't you done enough?" she asked her. "You're already injured."  
The other girl looked back at her, a cold look in her eyes.  
"I can handle this" she said, her voice as icy as her look. "You stay back. You're not supposed to be here."  
"But, you shouldn't push yourself so hard" said Akari. "You'll only end up hurting yourself."  
"I said I can handle this. Go back to the shelters now. Its dangerous here."  
She jumped forward again, to defeat Walpurgisnacht. 

Akari woke up when she heard her sister's voice, the dream still in her mind.  
"Another dream, huh?" she thought. "This time there was a different girl. And that Witch was definitely Walpurgisnacht."

Hikari laid out breakfast on the table as usual. The girls ate.  
"I've been thinking..... I know its not the best time but maybe we should go to school today" said Hikari. "There's still some time left and e can get there."  
"But, what about the police looking for us?" asked Akari. "Besides, everyone probably already knows what happened. News spreads fast here after all."  
"Yes, I know. Its a big risk. But, we can meet Hinako-san and Kazue-san there. After all, we don't know where they live. We just have to keep a low profile."  
"I guess we could do that" said Akari. "There's still some time left. We can go if we hurry up."

The girls quickly finished their breakfast, then dressed up. They also put on their cloaks, just in case. Then, they headed for school. Kyubey followed them too.

When they entered the school, the students were immediately wary of them. They whispered and pointed at the girls. Akari and Hikari went to their classroom and took their seats. The other students pushed their seats a little farther. The whispering continued. 

Ms. Mitsuki entered the class and noticed the girls. She tried to take the class as normal, but she kept glancing at Akari and Hikari.  
"Its fine. We're just here to meet Kazue-san and Hinako-san" Hikari said telepathically. "If we can get through this day, it will be great."

The classes ended and the girls went outside for their break.

"We just have to look for Kazue-san and Hinako-san" said Hikari.  
"Heyyyy!" a familiar voice shouted from behind. It was Yua. The rest of the poetry club members came running towards them.  
"Yua-senpai, Kirari-chan, Momoko-chan" Akari said.  
"Wow, I didn't expect you two to come to school today" said Yua. "But it certainly is a pleasant surprise."  
"You have no idea how glad we are to see you" said Akari. "This whole day has just been so awkward."  
"Well, the whole town knows what happened by now so people are bound to treat you differently" said Kirari.  
"But hey, you still have us" said Momoko.  
"Thank you, Momoko-chan" said Hikari.  
"So what do you say to another Poetry Club meeting today?" asked Yua.  
"Well, that's..." began Akari. 

"Hey!" a voice said behind them. A group of snooty looking girls came behind them.  
"Oh no, its Erika and her gang" said Yua.  
Erika and her friend, Rie, Ruka, Himeko and Sarina were Yua's classmates who frequently made fun of her and the Poetry Club.  
"Well well well, I would never have guessed two of the Poetry Club's members would turn out to be murderers" said Erika.  
"Go away, Erika" said Yua. "Leave us alone."  
"I would never guess that you would still hang out with murderers, Yua" said Rie. "And ones who killed their parents no less."  
"Our parents were not good to us!" said Akari. "We were defending ourselves."  
She walked forward, but Erika pushed her and she fell on the ground.  
"Don't come near us!" said Erika.  
"You guys had better go away!" said Yua.  
"Don't you dare touch Akari or my friends!" Hikari glared at them.  
"Oh, and what're you gonna do? Kill us?" asked Erika.  
"You know my father is a police officer, right? And he's on the lookout for you two" said Ruka. "I'll just let him know that you two were at school today and that Yua and her friends are sheltering you."  
"We aren't...." began Yua.  
"If you're friendly with the criminals, then you're just as bad as them" said Ruka.  
"Listen, you'd better leave my friends out of this" said Hikari.  
"Oh, you wanna go at it?" asked Erika. "I'm ready."  
She balled her fists and changed her stance to a fighting position.

"What's going on here?" a familiar voice asked. Hinako Funai and Kazue Kobayashi came their way.  
"F-F-F-Funai-san" Erika stuttered.  
"What's happening here?" asked Hinako. "Are you starting a fight?"  
"Funai-san, these two are murderers. Stay away from them" said Erika.  
"And from what I gather, you girls are the ones purposely provoking them" Hinako said  
"W-well, that's..."  
"You wanted to start a fight, didn't you?" Hinako narrowed her eyes down to a glare, enough to scare Erika and her friends.  
"W-well, you see...." Erika started.  
"I know you think you're doing us a favour by provoking these so called criminals, but you're not helping. You'd best leave them alone" said Hinako.  
"Y-yes, Funai-senpai. Come on girls"  
Erika and the others scampered away. 

"Hinako-san, thank you" said Akari.  
"No problem" said Hinako.  
"Hinako-san? You guys know her?" asked Yua.  
"We might have met on accident" said Kazue.  
"Oooh, like a chance meeting" said Momoko. "That's so cool."  
"You guys are from the poetry club, right?" asked Hinako. "Yes! Oh my gosh, you actually know us!" exclaimed Yua. "You seem like an interesting group of people" said Hinako. "Do feel free to visit the dance club any time." Yua squealed with excitement. "I surely will" she said. "Then I look forward to seeing you. Come on, Kazue" Hinako and Kazue then left. But before that, Kazue turned to glare at Yua. "Kazue, come on" Hinako whispered. "She just wanted to see the dance club."

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe you guys know Funai Hinako!" exclaimed Yua. "She's only the daughter of the richest person in Yumegawa, she's pretty, elegant, and gets good grades."  
"Getting close to her seems almost impossible" said Momoko.  
"We just happened to run into her" said Akari. "We're kinda just acquaintances now."  


Later on, the girls went to the dance club. The meeting took place at the auditorium. Hinako, Kazue, and the other dance club members were practicing on stage with music playing. Kazue noticed Yua and glared at her.  
"Oh my..... I get the feeling Kobayashi-san doesn't like me" said Yua  
When they were done, everyone clapped.  
"Good job everyone" said Hinako. "But there were a few things that could be improved. Mina, you were moving too slow. Haruki, you were too fast. Mana, you missed a few steps. And Kazue, you were distracted. But we can all improve upon this. Otherwise, good job everyone."

The dance club members began to head home.  
"You were all amazing!" said Yua. "As expected from you!"  
"I'm glad you liked it" said Hinako.  
"You are quit the strict mentor, huh Hinako-san" said Akari.  
"I have to be a bit strict if we're to get all the steps perfectly" said Hinako.  
"She's right! I mean, she even called me out, and I'm her favourite person" said Kazue.  
"Oh, Kazue. Try not to get distracted next time. That's your biggest problem" said Hinako.  
"Sorry, Hinako-sama!"  
"And don't call me that, its embarassing."

"Alright, alright."  
"Anyways, I'm glad you liked our performance. Feel free to visit anytime. You seem like an interesting bunch."

Yua and the others soon went home, leaving only Akari, Hikari, Hinako and Kazue.  
"Its strange that you guys would come to school after everything" said Hinako.  
"We just wanted to meet with you" said Hikari. "To discuss Walpurgisnacht."  
"Speaking of which, I had a dream about Walpurgisnacht last night." said Akari.  
"Hmmm..... why don't we discuss this at my place?"  
"That's a good idea" said Hikari.  
"Then its settled! Lets all go to Hinako's place!"

Hinako's house was huge, with a large garden and a spacious interior. The walls were adorned with decorations and pictures of various people. Hinako explained that her father ran the biggest pharmaceutical company in Yumegawa and the people in the pictures were the previous owners. Hinako would be next in line. She sighed as she explained this. Above the ceiling hung chandeliers.  
"Welcome home, Hinako-sama" a maid greeted her. Hinako also bowed in respect.  
"I've brought a few friends over" she said. "Please do have some tea and snacks ready."  
"I'll have them ready as soon as possible, Miss" she said and went away.  
"Your house sure is huge" said Akari. "I've never seen anything like this before."  
"Well, she is super rich after all" said Kazue.  
"It seems so easy to get lost in here" said Hikari.  
"Believe me, I did get lost in here the first time she invited me" said Kazue.  
"And I had to put all that effort into finding you. Gosh, you're so silly" Hinako laughed a little. "Anyways, lets go to my garden."

Hinako took the girls to the garden. It was a beautiful place with colourful flowers all over. There were a few tables and chairs.  
"I've never seen a place so beautiful before" said Akari.  
"I like coming here whenever I'm stressed" said Hinako. "It does help me relax. Now, why don't you take a seat?"  
"Hinako-sama, the snacks are ready."  
The maid came in with tea and a variety of snacks.  
"Thank you."  
The girls had a bit of the snacks and tea.  
"Mmm.... this is delicious" said Akari.  
"Its been a while since we've had such tasty snacks" said Hikari.  
"I'm glad you like it" said Hinako.  
"Hinako's snacks are always the best!" said Kazue.  
"So, lets get to the reason we're meeting in the first place. Akari-san, you said you dreamed about Walpurgisnacht last night. What was your dream exactly?" asked Hinako.  
Akari recounted her dream to everyone present. The others listened with awe.  
"Hmm.... interesting" said Hinako. "This other girl..... she was definitely a magical girl. But who was she? And how did she enter your dreams? Are you sure you've never met her?"  
"No. I've never met her before, except in my dreams" said Akari.  
"That's strange indeed" said Hinako. "Anyways, Akari-san's dreams have given us an idea of Walpurgisnacht's powers. She is capable of destroying an entire city. So to beat her, we'll have to work together. For that, we have to work on our teamwork. We will fight various Witches as a team and work on our coordination. That way, we can get practice to beat Walpurgisnacht."  
"That sounds like a good plan to me" said Kazue.

"Hinako" a sharp voice called from behind. The girls looked back to find a woman with think, brown hair, sharp eyes and dark red lipstick. She wore business clothes and had a scowl with a glare that could kill. Akari and Hikari were immediately intimidated by her. Hinako just sighed. She got up and bowed to the woman.  
"I'm home, mother" she said.  
"Its rather telling that you're enjoying tea and snacks with your friends here when your test scores have been decreasing" the woman spat. "You got an 80% on this time's math test. How can your grades go down so fast?"  
"But, isn't an 80% good?" asked Akari.  
The woman glared at her and she sunk down into her chair.  
"I know Kobayashi, but who are these people and why are you hanging out with them?" asked Mrs Funai.  
"They're new dance club members" said Hinako. "I invited them here to talk about their performance."  
"Hmmm....."  
Mrs Funai took a close look at Akari and Hikari.  
"Something about them looks..... familiar."  
"I've invited them here before. You just can't remember" said Hinako.  
"I see. Anyway, work on your studies instead of drinking tea. A Funai must get only the best of everything."  
Saying this, she left.  
"That's Hinako's mother" said Kazue. "She's not that great, as you may have guessed."  
"It was amazing she didn't recognize us" said Hikari. "We'd let our guard down."  
"Forget about her" said Hinako. "Lets talk about our strategy. We'll meet at the school around midnight and hunt for Witches together. That way, we can practice working as a team. What do you think?"  
"Done!" they all said in unison.

That night, the girls all met up near the school. Kyubey came along with them.  
"Are you all ready?" asked Kyubey.  
"Yes!" they all said in unison.  
"Now, lets hunt for wicked witches!" Kazue exclaimed in excitement.  
"Kazue, I've told you many times, hunting Witches isn't supposed to be fun!" said Hinako.  
"Sorry, darling" said Kazue sheepishly.  
"So, lets so!" said Akari. 

The girls all walked down, following any signals from their Soul Gems. Soon, Akari's Soul Gem picked up something.  
"I'm sensing something" said Akari. "Its coming from this way."  
The others all followed. They were led to a hospital. The girls went inside. The hallways were dark and quiet. There was no one in sight

Suddenly, the girls heard a voice.  
"Oh my gosh, what is that?" asked Kazue.  
"Everyone, stay calm. It could be the Witch" said Hinako.  
"That voice..... its sounds familiar" said Hikari.  
"Don't tell me its...." Akari began.  
The voice began wailing again.  
"Akariiiiiiii. Hikariiiiiiiii."  
"What the hell is that?!" exclaimed Kazue.  
A figure showed up in the hallway. When it came closer, Hikari's eyes widened - it was their mother!  
"M...... Mother....." Akari said.  
Asami looked at the girls. Her eyes were dull and lifeless.  
"My daughters..... why did you do this to me?" she asked.  
She went forward and touched Akari and Hikari's faces.  
"Look at you" she said, in a trancelike state. "My pitiful daughters. Was I that bad of a parent to you?"  
Akari's eyes widened.  
"My girls, come back home with me" she said. "Lets die together. We can be a happy family in heaven."  
"Akari, Hikari! Don't listen to her!" Hinako exclaimed.  
"I am sorry for everything I've done to you. Please come home to me" Asami continued.  
"She's under the influence of the Witch! Don't listen to a word she says!" exclaimed Kazue.  
"Mother...." Akari said.  
"No!" Hikari exclaimed. She slapped Asami's hand away from her face and freed Akari too.  
"You were terrible to me and Akari. You belittled us every chance you got. We were never good enough in your eyes. The last place we would want to be right now is with you!"  
"My giiiiiirrrrrlllllsssss!" 

The environment around them changed. The labyrinth resembled a hospital, but the beds all moved. The girls took this as a cue to transform.

"Alright everyone, lets take down the familiars first!" said Hinako. The others nodded.  
Hinako danced as a distraction. The familiars went after her. She avoided all their attacks by dancing. She then used her dancing ribbon, tied them and threw them at a wall. Kazue too used her rope in order to make the familiars fall in love. Hikari defeated them with her key.   
"Akari, cover me!" exclaimed Hikari. Akari nodded and created a shield behind Hikari. She ran forward, eliminating familiars. A familiar came behind Akari.   
"Akari-san, watch out!" Hinako exclaimed. She turned back slowly. However, Kazue was on the trail and eliminated the familiar.   
"Thank you" said Akari.   
"You should be more careful" said Kazue.   
Akari defeated more familiars with her shield.   
"You're doing great everyone" said Hinako. "Only a few more and we can move on to defeating the Witch."  
Suddenly, Hikari noticed her mother walking as though in a trance towards a bed  
"Mother, watch out!" Hikari exclaimed and ran towards her.   
"Hikari-san, what are you doing?" asked Hinako.   
Asami sat in the bed. The blanket covered her fully.  
"Mother!" Hikari exclaimed.   
The bed then flew away.   
"We have to stop that bed!" said Akari.   
"I'm on it!"   
Kazue used her rope to try and hold it back. But it broke, sending Kazue backwards. Hinako caught her just in time.   
"Ah, I see you can't resist catching me" said Kazue flirtatiously.   
"Kazue, now is not the time for flirting!" said Hinako. "Akari-san and Hikari-san's mother is in there! We've got to find a way to get to her!"  
Hinako jumped up and tried to dance in order to distract the bed, to no avail. Akari then jumped up.   
"Akari! Wait!" Hikari exclaimed.   
Akari got on top of the bed. She tried to pull out the sheets.   
"Let.... my mother.... GO!" she exclaimed as she ripped the sheets out. She then took Asami and made her way down.   
"Akari, are you alright?" asked Hikari.   
"Yes. I'll take her to a safe place. You guys keep fighting" said Akari.   
She went away with Asami, while the other girls eyed the Witch. It yelled and then started shooting out red crosses. The girls ran to avoid them. Obe of them tore through Hikari's cape. She was shocked for a second, then she kept running.   
"Oh Witch, please dance with me!" said Hinako. She then began dancing. She took out her dancing ribbon and made patterns in the air. The Witch went along with her moves. Hinako gave a look at Hikari and Kazue. They nodded understandingly. Kazue restrained the Witch with ropes. Hinako also played a part with her dancing ribbons. Hikari took this as a cue and ran with her key. But the Witch was able to break through all the restraints, pushing Hinako and Kazue backwards.   
"Kazue-san! Hinako-san!"   
A red cross was thrown at Hikari and passed through her cape again. She was now pinned to a wall. She struggled to get free. The Witch edged closer towards her.   
Suddenly, a shield hit it. The Witch looked to see Akari standing there.  
"You'd better leave my sister alone!" said Akari. She summoned multiple shields and hurled them at the Witch. When the Witch was out of commission, she combined them into a big one and used it to finish off the Witch. 

The labyrinth disappeared. The girls found themselves back in the hospital. A Grief Seed dropped and Akari picked it up.   
"You can have that" said Hinako. "Combining those shields must've taken up a lot of magic."  
Akari looked at her Soul Gem. It was significantly blackened. She put the Grief Seed to her Soul Gem and purified it.   
"That was amazing, Akari-san!" exclaimed Kazue. "How did you know you could do that?"  
"Kyubey asked me to try it" Akari said, looking at Kyubey.   
"I did tell her there was a chance of it happening and she took the risk" said Kyubey. "Anyways, you all did well. You certainly make a great team."  
"We sure do." said Kazue.  
"There's still a long way for us to go" said Hinako. "We must fight more Witches to build up our strength as a team."

Asami stirred in her place. She slowly opened her eyes.   
"Ooooh.... what happened? she asked. "Akari? Hikari? Are you there?"  
"Lets go away from here" said Hikari. The girls nodded and they left the hospital. 

"You know, it seems like your mother was really sorry for something" said Hinako.   
"Even if that were true, I won't forgive her" said Hikari. "She treated us like dirt all our lives. She made us feel like we were incapable of doing anything right."  
Akari just nodded.   
"But you did save her" said Kazue.   
"We may not like our mother much, but we can;t let us fall victim to a Witch. That's not what being a magical girl is all about." said Akari.   
"I understand" said Kazue. "To tell the truth, my mother isn't exactly the greatest either. Hinako's parents also aren't great, right Hinako?"  
"Ah, that's right" said Hinako.   
"So, I guess we all found one thing in common to strengthen our bond" said Hikari.   
"What is that?" asked Kazue.   
"That we all have awful parents."  
The girls all laughed.   
"You know what, we really do make a great team" said Kazue.   
"Alright everyone, lets go home" said Hinako. "Goodbye now. We'll fight more Witches tomorrow. 

Back in their home, Akari drew the girls in her sketchbook.   
"Drawing something?" asked Hikari.   
"Yeah"  
"That's really good."  
"You think so? Thank you."  
"We'd better go to sleep" said Hikari. "We have to meet with Kazue-san and Hinako-san again tomorrow."  
Akari tore the page of the drawing and pinned it to her desk. Then she lied on her bed. She stared at the drawing she made.   
"Hikari."  
"Yeah?"  
"Its certainly not easy but, I think I'm starting to like being a magical girl" said Akari.   
"I agree" said Hikari. "It feels like we've really changed."

From outside the bedroom, Kyubey watched the girls.   
"I wonder how long you will keep that sentiment" he thought.


	5. We must never let our guard down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie, I just realised I haven't updated this series in over a month. Don't worry, I intend on completing this series. But I have online classes now, so I may not post as often. Still, I'll do my best to update it as much as possible.
> 
> No warnings for this chapter

"Akari, wake up!"  
Hikari pulled the covers off Akari. Akari got up groggily and rubbed her eyes.  
"Five more minutes Hikari" she said slowly.  
"We have to meet with Kazue-san and Hinako-san today, remember?" Hikari asked. "We have to hunt Witches together again."  
Akari sat up from her bed.  
"Had any strange dreams?" Hikari asked.  
"Not today" said Akari. "You seem to be in a good mood, Hikari."  
"Well, I'm starting to like being a magical girl" said Hikari. "Sure, its dangerous but we have a team to work with now. Fighting together was a great experience."  
"I see." Akari slowly made her way to the bathroom. She had her shower, then brushed her teeth. Then, she went into the kitchen to help Hikari with breakfast. Hikari put plates for herself, Akari and Kyubey.  
"Lets eat!" she said. 

After breakfast, they went to school. They got weird looks from the students, but this time, they didn't mind.  
"Good morning, Akari-san, Hikari-san" Hinako said as she walked towards them.  
"Good morning" Akari and Hikari said.  
"You remember our meeting, right?" Hinako said. "Kazue said she detected a Witch near a mall earlier. So after school, we go there and fight the Witch. It will be another team building experience."  
"Yeah, we'll be there" said Hikari.  
"Yay! I can't wait!" Kazue jumped up and down.  
"Kazue, remember Witch hunting isn't supposed to be a fun experience" said Hinako. "We're trying to stop people from being killed."  
"I know! Its just great to go with new friends!" Kazue exclaimed.  
"Alright, remember, the mall after school" said Hinako.  
"We'll be there" said Akari. 

After school, the girls met outside of the school.  
"How were classes?" asked Hinako.  
"Awful. Everyone just looked at us weirdly" said Akari.  
"This will take some getting used to" said Hikari.  
The girls then brought out their cloaks and put it on.  
"Now remember, at the mall, you have to keep your guard up" said Hinako. "You don't want anyone to know who you two are."  
"It feels bad having to hide all the time" said Akari.  
The girls made their way to the mall. 

"Alright, we're here" Hinako said. "The Witch should be somewhere around here. Remember, we're not here for a fun time. We're here to find a Witch."  
"Alright, but we CAN have some fun, right?" asked Kazue. "Like, after we fight the Witch."  
"If we're able to find it soon, then yes" said Hinako.  
"Great!" Kazue said.  
"Now, get your Soul Gems out. We have a Witch to find."

They went all around the mall, searching for the Witch. Suddenly, something caught Kazue's eye.  
"Hey, hey, Mina-chan's new album is on sale there!" Kazue pointed excitedly at a shop.  
"Kazue, we're here to catch a Wi-" Hinako began.  
"Seriously? I've been looking forward to that forever" Akari said.  
"You like Mina-chan too?" Kazue asked excitedly.  
"Yes! She's my favourite singer ever" Akari replied.  
"I personally never got the hype but Akari seems to love her" Hikari said.  
"Hinakoooo, can we please check it out?" Kazue and Akari looked at Hinako with sparkling eyes. She eventually relented.  
"Alright, just this once" said Hinako.  
"YESSSS!"

Kazue and Akari ran excitedly into the shop.  
"There's so much merch here!" Kazue said.  
"When I was younger, my dream was to become a singer like Mina-chan" said Akari.  
"Me too!" said Kazue.  
They took their time in the shop, looking at everything before buying the album. 

"I never understood why people go crazy over these idols" Hinako said.  
"Me too" Hikari said. "But hey, they do make people happy."  
"Yes. Mina-chan makes Kazue really happy" said Hinako. 

After a while, Akari and Kazue came out from the shop.  
"You guys done? Now we can search for the Witch" said Hinako.  
"Yes!"  
The girls went where their Soul Gems led to again. Then, something caught Akari's eye.  
"My gosh, look at that shop! The stuffed animals are so cute!" Akari exclaimed.  
"Oh my gosh, you're right" Kazue said.  
"They are cute, but remember, we're searching for a Witch. Hikari?"  
"Gosh, these are adorable" Hikari said. "A few minutes checking these out wouldn't hurt, right Hinako-san?"  
Hinako sighed again.  
"Alright, alright, we can check them out."  
The girls excitedly went into the shop. They each picked out a stuffed animal. Eventually, even Hinako gave in.  
"Akari, don't you have enough stuffed animals?" Hikari asked.  
"You can never have too many stuffed animals" Akari said.  
"That is absolutely right" said Kazue. 

They took all of their stuffed animals to the counter. The cashier looked at them closely, then nodded his head. Hinako paid him and they left. The cashier watched the girls as they left. Then he took his phone and dialed the police. 

"Alright, this was the last one. Now, we focus on finding the Witch" said Hinako.  
"Alright, alright" said Kazue.  
"I'm a little thirsty" said Hikari.  
"Hey, they're selling juices over there" said Akari.  
"Can we just stop for a drink, Hinako-san?" asked Hikari.  
"Alright, alright" said Hinako. "We can't be thirsty if we're fighting a Witch anyway."  
They went to the juice stand and bought some drinks for themselves.  
"Wow, this is really good" said Kazue.  
"I'll admit, I do like this" said Hinako.  
"Its nice to take a break like this once in a while" said Hikari.  


The girls continued getting distracted in this way. They went to various shops together and bought things. Soon, they forgot what they were there for. Kyubey watched them from a distance.  
"Seems they forgot what being a magical girl is all about" he said. "But that happens a lot. For now, they'll have fun. Sooner or later, they'll find out that this is no game."

"I don't think I've had this much fun since starting the dance club" said Hinako.  
"Same here" said Akari. "Its nice to not be scared for once."  
"Gosh, if my mom found out I was having this much fun, she'll find something wrong with me. 'Kazue, how dare you have fun the wrong way! Don't you know there's a right way to be happy?' " she said imitating her mother. The others laughed.  
"Your mom sounds like a real piece of work" said Hikari.  
"Oh trust me, she is."  
"Can you imagine our parents being horrible being the reason the four of us bond?" Akari said.  
"Yeah" Hinako said. "At least we do have each other."  
Hikari suddenly spotted a man walking in a funny way. When she looked closer, she realized he had a Witch's kiss.  
"Guys, that man. He has a Witch's Kiss!" Hikari exclaimed.  
"Oh my God! I totally forgot what we came for!" Kazue said.  
"Come on, we have to follow him!" said Hinako. 

They followed the man to the emergency exit. The man took the fire extinguisher and pointed it to himself. Hikari acted quickly and ran forward. She slapped the extinguisher out of the man's hand. He looked back and grabbed Hikari. Akari ran forward and tried to get his hands off Hikari. Hinako and Kazue helped to free Hikari. 

The environment changed. They were now in a place where there was fire everywhere. The Witch nothing more than a large flame. The girls took out their Soul Gems and transformed. Hinako danced to get the familiars' attention. Kazue used her ropes to make the familiars fall in love. Hikari shot the points of her key at them.  
"Akari-san, shield us!" Hinako said.  
"On it!"  
Akari conjured up large shields in front of the girls. Familiars came behind her and began to burn her. She jumped and in her panic, dropped the shields.  
"Akari!" Hikari looked up and saw fireballs dropping.  
"I'm sorry!" Akari said.  
"Everyone watch out!" Hinako exclaimed. "Take cover."  
"I'll use my shields!"  
Akari conjured up a big shield and the other three girls went inside. The fireballs dropped on it, leaving marks, until the shield disappeared. The girls were thrown back.  
"How are we going to get towards the Witch?" Kazue asked.  
"We'll need something to put out the fire."  
Hinako looked and saw a fire extinguisher.  
"That fire extinguisher is still there. Someone needs to go and get it!"  
"I've got it!" Kazue exclaimed. She used her ropes to grab it.  
"Good job, Kazue!" Hinako said.  
"Your girlfriend is the smartest one around, you've gotta admit!" Kazue said.  
"No time for bragging now. We need to defeat those familiars!"  
Kazue turned the extinguisher on and put out all the familiars.  
"Alright, now that that's done, we'll need more than a fire extinguisher to defeat that Witch" said Hikari.  


The Witch shot fireballs at them. They all dodged it. Hinako used her dancing ribbons to deflect it. Kazue used her rope.  
"Kazue-san, Hinako-san, we could use that!" said Hikari. "If you two could combine your weapons to create a strong enough wind, it would be enough to defeat the Witch."  
"That sounds a bit far fetched" said Hinako.  
"We could try it" said Kazue.  
"Alright. Akari-san, Hikari-san, you two cover for us."  
"Got it!"  
More fireballs rained. Hinako and Kazue made their weapons bigger. Hikari deflected the fireballs with her key while Akari used her shield. Kazue and Hinako spun their weapons around and created a strong wind. The Witch went backwards but wasn't giving up. She threw more fireballs. One hit Hinako. Kazue saw this and became angrier. She spun her rope around faster. There was more wind. The Witch tried to hold on but could not. Finally, she was defeated. 

The girls were back at the emergency exit. A Grief Seed fell out. Hinako picked it up.  
"You can have this one, Kazue" she said.  
"We did it!" Akari exclaimed.  
"We're getting good at this!" said Hikari.  
"Our teamwork is improving" said Hinako. "And..... I had fun too" she added softly.  
"What was that?" Kazue asked.  
"Oh, nothing" said Hinako.  
"Come on, I know you said something" said Kazue.  
"No Kazue, I didn't say anything."  
"I heard it too" said Akari.  
"Oh no, not you too" Hinako said.  
"Hinako-san, you can admit you had fun, its okay" said Hikari.  
"Come on guys, stop this" said Hinako. 

The man slowly woke up. He saw the girls talking.  
"Who..... are you?" he asked.  
The girls looked back. Akari went to check on him.  
"Are you alright?" she asked.  
"Yeah..... hey you look familiar. Are you....."  
He looked at Hikari. Then, it finally clicked. He backed away and pointed a finger at Hikari.  
"You're those crazy girls who murdered your father!" he exclaimed.  
Hikari suddenly went pale. She had totally let her guard down!  
"I..... we can explain...." she began. "Akari wasn't involved. It was just...."  
"Get away from me, you crazies! Brats like you who have no problem killing your parents should be put in juvenile detention!" the man exclaimed.  
Suddenly, there were bangs on the door. The door opened and cops entered. Panic suddenly struck the girls.  
"We've received word that the Sonozaki sisters might be here" said a policeman.  
"Yes! Yes! Here they are! Throw them into juvenile detention!" the man hollered.  
"Alright girls, you need to quietly come with us" said a policeman. "The two of you are included" he said to Kazue and Hinako.  
Kazue suddenly summoned her weapon and lashed it at them. The policemen dodged it. They were stunned.  
"Kazue, what are you...." Hinako asked.  
"We have to get out of here!" Kazue exclaimed. "Come on!"  
Without questioning, the girls ran past the cops.  
"Hey! After them!" a policemen shouted.  
"Catch them! Catch them and lock them away!" the man yelled.  
"But..... we saved your life" Akari said tearfully. She then wiped her tears away and ran. 

The cops were now hot on their tails. The girls were almost out of the mall. One of the cops was almost on to them. Kazue used magic again to slow them down.  
"Kazue, you can't just..." Hinako began.  
"Keep going! We'll get to our house!" Hikari exclaimed. "They can't see us there!"  
They kept running till they reached Akari and Hikari's house. They quickly went inside. 

The cops skirted the area for a bit. When they found no one, they left.  
"Wow.... so.... no one can see this house?" asked Kazue.  
"No one except magical girls" said Hikari.  
"I don't understand" Akari said. "We saved that man's life. Why did he turn on us?"  
"Oh Akari" Hikari went towards her. "Sometimes, people don't appreciate what we have done because they don't know it."  
"But.... it hurts" Akari began to cry. Hinako and Kazue also went to comfort her.  
"From now on, we have to stick together always" said Hinako. "We must never let our guard down."


	6. We truly don't belong anywhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: Attempted suicide, homophobia

"The Sonozaki sisters who had murdered their father had been spotted at the Yumegawa City Mall yesterday. While police tried to catch them, they managed to escape. But the most surprising thing is that they were not alone. There were two girls with them. One of them has surprisingly been identified as Funai Hinako, the daughter of the rich pharmacist Funai Takashi. While making their escape, the girls supposedly used magic. Could these girls be Witches?"

The news blared and showed Akari, Hikari, Kazue and Hinako's faces everywhere. The people now spoke of them in whispers. They called the girls witches and said they were using black magic. The girls were now truly outcasts. 

Suddenly, someone shouted, "WITCH GIRL!"  
It immediately caught everyone's attention. Kazue's cloak had fallen while she was shopping for groceries. She was now surrounded by people. Kazue immediately ran away. A mob of people chased her, throwing things and screaming profanities.

Kazue ran but saw she was surrounded by people on all sides. Seeing no other option, she took out her soul gem and used magic to make herself invisible. She ran past the people. But after a while, she became visible again. People noticed her and threw things at her. She soon saw the Church and their house next to it. She ran as fast as she could, opening and closing the door behind her. The people looked around in the Church for a while, before going away, whispering of how Kazue was a Witch. 

"Kazue! Are you alright?" asked Hinako.  
"Barely" said Kazue. "My cloak fell off. I'm not used to this whole hiding from society thing. Seems like we truly don't belong anywhere now."  
"Kazue-san, Hinako-san, I'm sorry we got you caught up in all this" said Akari.  
"No, it was my fault. If I didn't keep getting distracted and if I hadn't used magic back then...."  
She shook her head vigorously.  
"I'm going to take a shower."  
She left whatever she brought from the grocery store on the table and ran to the bathroom.  
"Kazue-san..."  
Hinako held Hikari back.  
"She just needs time to recover" said Hinako. 

Kazue washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror.  
"Ughhh, Kazue! How many times are you gonna screw up!" she scolded herself. "I should never have gotten distracted yesterday. But no, I insisted! Ughhh! And to make matters worse mother disowned me too."  
She buried her head in the water as she remembered her talk with her mother the previous night.

* * *

_Kazue had come back home from Akari and Hikari's house. The apartment was dark, only illuminated by a few lamps in the living room. This couldn't be good.  
She found her mother waiting for her.The look on her mother's face told her that this wasn't good news.  
"Kazue, we need to talk" her mother told her.  
"Great. Just what I need. Another lecture on how much of a disappointment I am" she thought and braced herself.  
She sat down on the sofa.  
"What did I do this time, mother?" she asked.  
"Care to explain this?" asked her mother as she held up a picture of a drawing with Kazue and Hinako kissing. She had uncovered many such drawings.  
"Mother, were you going through my things?" asked Kazue.  
"Don't deflect the question, just answer. This girl is clearly supposed to be you and.... who is this other girl?"  
"Does it matter?"  
"ANSWER THE QUESTION, KAZUE!"  
Kazue flinched in her seat. Then she said "Alright, alright. She is Funai Hinako. And the truth is.... I'm dating her. Have been for a long time."  
"You're dating the daughter of Funai Takashi?"  
"Yes. Isn't that what you wanted? For me to find a rich spouse? Funai Takashi is THE richest man in Yumegawa. And even if he wasn't, it doesn't matter because I love Hinako the same way."  
"Don't you talk to me that way! And yes, it does matter because its ridiculous! YOU, dating a GIRL?!"  
"Face it mother, Hinako is the one I love."  
"No you don't. You're just a child, you don't know what love is."  
"What do YOU know about love?!" Kazue screamed. "You don't even love me, your own child! You only want to use me to marry a rich man so you can have a nice retirement! You constantly tell me what a disappointment I am! If anyone doesn't know about love, its YOU!"  
Mrs Kobayashi's face went red.  
"If that's what you feel then you can get out of here" she said softly.  
"What?"  
"GO AWAY! GET OUT! Live with your girlfriend if you love her so much!"  
With that, Kazue took all her things and moved away. She wondered where to go, then remembered Akari and Hikari's house. She walked till she reached the house and knocked the door. It was opened by Hikari.  
"Kazue-san? What are you doing here?" she asked.  
Kazue then burst into tears. Hikari took her inside._

* * *

"Maybe I'm better off like this" Kazue said to herself. "I never liked living with mother anyway. Besides, Hinako is here too. It won't be that bad."

Someone knocked on the door.  
"Kazue-san! Are you alright?" asked Akari.  
"Yeahh" Kazue replied.  
She then splashed more water on her face. She came out of the bathroom, wiping her face.

"Its an unwritten rule of magical girls to never use magic on regular people" said Kyubey. "You must keep the fact that you're magical girls a secret."  
"Yes, Kazue made a mistake, but she obviously feels bad about it" said Hinako. "You don't have to rub it in."  
"I would have thought you knew about this already" said Kyubey. "Its too late now. You all are basically outcasts. But you still have to fight Witches."  
Kazue then laughed.  
"Kazue-san, what's wrong?" asked Akari.  
"Isn't it funny?" asked Kazue. "People call us Witches yet here we are, actually fighting Witches to protect them. Isn't that so ironic?"  
"They don't know about our magical girl work" said Hinako. "And even if they did, I doubt that would make us any less of outcasts."  
"I'm just now realising how thankless being a magical girl truly is" said Hikari.  
"This is the reality of being a magical girl" said Kyubey. "No one knows of the work you do."  
"Its sad though.... to be treated like that by people you saved" said Akari.  
She thought of the man they had saved yelling at them and giving them up to the police.  
"Even if people aren't nice to us, it is our obligation to protect and save them from Witches" said Hinako. "That is what being a magical girl is all about."  
"In that case.... we'll be the unknown heroes. Even if people hate and curse us, we'll save them no matter what" said Hikari.  
"I agree" said Akari.

So that midnight, they went out to hunt Witches as usual. Kyubey also went with them.  
"My Soul Gem is detecting something from there" Hikari pointed.  
"That's the bridge below the Yumegawa river" said Hinako. "Its a very common place for suicides. If there's anywhere a Witch could be, its here."  
"Guys, look over there!" Akari pointed.  
A man was leaning over the railings of the bridge. Hikari was quick. She sprinted and pulled the man back. He pushed her away.  
"Get out of my way" he sputtered. "I need.... to do this."  
"Please calm down" said Akari. She tool held him back. The man pushed her. In a trance, he came after the girls.  
"Yes, we've definitely found our Witch" said Hinako.  
The man suddenly tripped and fell. Hinako swiftly caught him.  
"Kazue, take him to a safe place" said Hinako.  
"Y-Yeah."

The environment changes and suddenly, they were in a labyrinth.  
"We're here" said Hinako. "Everyone transform."  
The girls transformed. The labyrinth resembled a place underwater. The familiars looked like little corals. The Witch was one big coral.

"Everyone, are you ready?" asked Hinako.  
"Yeah."  
The familiars attacked. Hikari swung her key around.  
"Akari, cover me" she said.  
"Yeah!"  
Akari put a shield around Hikari.  
"Dance with me!" Hinako said. She took out her dancing ribbon and began to dance. The familiars danced with her.  
"Everyone, they're distracted" Hinako said while dancing. "You can attack now."  
Hikari finished them with her key. Akari threw her shield at them.  
"That's it, we're doing well" said Hinako. "Wait, where's Kazue?"  
Kazue came in later. Without a word, she summoned her chains. She caught the familiars and threw them away.  
"Kazue, what are you doing?" asked Hinako.  
"I'm the reason we're outcasts right now" said Kazue. "I want to at least be of help here. I'll take care of the Witch."  
With that, she rushed forward.  
"Kazue-san, no!" Akari yelled. Kazue didn't listen. She yelled and jumped towards the Witch. She used her chains to trap it.  
"I have you now!" Kazue exclaimed.  
The Witch just broke out of the chains.  
"STAY TRAPPED, WILL YOU?!" Kazue exclaimed. She summoned more chains to trap the Witch. She then jumped on top and began to hit it.  
"What is she doing?" asked Hinako.  
"Kazue-san, stop! You'll only get hurt!" Hikari exclaimed.  
The Witch threw her off. It then trapped her in a bubble with no oxygen.  
"Kazue-san!" Akari exclaimed.  
Kazue was gasping for air inside the bubble.  
"We have to save her!" Hinako said. "Hikari!"  
Hikari nodded. She rushed toward the Witch and jumped up. She then popped the bubble Kazue was trapped in with her key and brought her down.  
"Kazue, are you alright?" asked Hinako.  
Kazue just nodded.  
"Everyone, watch out!" Akari exclaimed.  
Water rushed on the girls. Akari used her shield to deflect it.  
"Thank you, Akari" said Hinako.  
"I have an idea. I'm not sure it would work but we can try. Hikari, can you help me?" asked Akari.  
"Yes."  
Akari whispered something to Hikari.  
'Hinako-san, Kazue-san, can you take care of the familiars?" asked Akari.  
"Yes" they both said.  
"Alright then, lets go" said Akari.  
Akari and Hikari rushed forward. Hinako and Kazue were busy with the familiars.  
Akari summoned her shield and made it as big as she could. Hikari threw the pins of her key onto the shield. Akari then jumped up and pressed the shield onto the Witch. The Witch was then defeated. 

Soon, they were back at the bridge. A Grief Seed dropped from the sky. Hikari picked it up.  
"Akari-san can have that as she's the one who defeated the Witch" said Hinako. Hikari gave the Grief Seed to Akari.  
"Thank you" said Akari.  
Hinako then turned to Kazue.  
"Kazue, what were you thinking doing that back there?" she asked.  
"I'm sorry" said Kazue. "I'm the reason we're in this situation in the first place, so I wanted to make it up to you guys. But, I got caught and you had to save me instead. I'm really sorry."  
Tears dropped from her eyes. Hinako then hugged Kazue.  
"I was really worried" she said. "Don't do that again."  
"We never blamed you, Kazue-san" Akari said. "Hikari and I have been running for a long time now anyway."  
"And in reality, this is all my fault. If I hadn't killed father...."  
"But you were trying to protect me" said Akari.  
"But still...." said Hikari.  
"Calm down. Its no one's fault we're in this situation. We all had reasons for doing what we did." said Hinako. "What matters now is that we improve as a team so we're strong enough to defeat Walpurgisnacht."

The man slowly began regaining consciousness. Hinako signaled for the girls to hide. They all did.  
"What was I doing?" the man said.  
"I think we should all go home" said Hinako.  
They all started on their way home. But unfortunately, someone spotted them.  
"ITS THOSE WITCH GIRLS!" a voice yelled. The few people who were around turned in their direction.  
"Shoot! We let our guard down again!" exclaimed Hinako.  
The girls ran with the people chasing them.

Suddenly, someone grabbed them and pulled them into an alleyway. The figure told them to be quiet.  
"Y-Yua... senpai?" Akari asked.  
"Be quiet" Yua whispered.  
The people searched all over the area, before going elsewhere.  
"Yua-senpai, what are you doing here?" asked Hikari.  
"I was coming back home from a friend's place" said Yua. "And then I saw you guys."  
"You're still helping us despite everything?" asked Akari.  
"Yes. I heard that you guys were using some sort of magic and I couldn't just believe it. Even if it was true, there has to be an explanation for it" said Yua. "And now Funai-senpai and Kobayashi-san are involved as well. Akari-chan, Hikari-chan, what is going on? Please explain to me. I promise I won't judge you for it."  
The girls looked at each other.  
"No, you're not supposed to tell anyone you're magical girls" Kyubey said.  
"Yua-senpai, what we're about to say may seem unbelievable, but its 100% true. I promise you" said Akari.  
"So tell me" said Yua. 

Akari and Hikari explained that they were magical girls. They told Yua how they met Kyubey, what they do as magical girls, and how they were found out at the mall. Yua listened intently without interrupting them.  
"I wouldn't normally believe such a thing, but something tells me you guys are telling the truth" said Yua. "But regardless, Yumegawa is no longer a place for you. Everyone is out for your blood. I hate to say this but, I think your best bet is to leave Yumegawa for good."  
"And where would we go?" asked Akari.  
"I don't know" said Yua. "But there are many trains to nearby cities. I'll meet you tomorrow at the Church and we'll talk about it. For now, you guys need to go home."  
"We understand. Thank you, Minagawa-san" said Hinako.  
"Anytime" said Yua.  
The girls bid Yua goodbye and went to their home. 

That night, Akari dreamed she was at the same place she had seen in her dreams multiple times. The city was destroyed, debris was floating, and Walpurgisnacht was in the sky, her laugh taunting Akari. She was standing at what used to be the railway station. Akari spotted the same girl with long black hair, jumping into the sky to try and beat Walpurgisnacht.  
"Wait!" Akari tried to call out to her but it was useless. Walpurgisnacht defeated the girl within a few minutes. Then, someone else came into the scene. Akari gasped as she recognized the girl - it was Madoka Kaname. Kyubey was standing in front of Madoka. The other girl with black hair tried to stop Madoka but before she could reach her, a light had formed between Madoka and Kyubey. The girl put her hand on her shield.  
"What is she doing?" Akari said.  
She turned the shield and suddenly, time reversed. Before that could happen, Akari managed to see the sign on the railway station. It said: "WELCOME TO MITAKIHARA CITY."

Akari woke up with a vague memory of her dream. She did her usual routine of showering and brushing her teeth. Then, she came to the table for breakfast. Hikari served them.  
"Minagawa was right. Yumegawa is no longer safe for us" said Hinako. "We need to find another place."  
"But which is the nearest city to us?" asked Hikari.  
"Well, there's Kazamino, Morikawa, Mitakihara....." Kazue said.  
Akari suddenly remembered her dream. All of those dreams had taken place in Mitakihara City. If they went to Mitakihara, they might find the answer to her dreams.  
"Mitakihara...." Akari said.  
"What?"  
"We should go to Mitakihara City" said Akari. "I'm there in almost all my dreams. If we go to Mitakihara, we might find the answer to my dreams."  
"Did you dream again today Akari?" asked Hikari.  
"Yes. And there I was in Mitakihara City again" said Akari.  
"Mitakihara is pretty close" said Kazue. "There are a few trains going to Mitakihara.  
"Then its settled" said Hinako. "We're going to Mitakihara City."


	7. I see you in my dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter except that its kinda messy, lmao.

Akari, Hikari, Hinako, and Kazue all sat on top of a train that was headed to Mitakihara City. They took a look back at Yumegawa- the place where they all grew up, yet the place that also held a lot of bad memories for all of them.  
"Once we're out of here, we don't have to hide anymore" said Kazue.  
It was true- in Mitakihara, they would no longer be outcasts.  
"I'm.... not sure about this" said Akari. "After all, we did grow up in Yumegawa."  
"I understand" said Hinako. "Its sad but we have to get away. That was our only choice."  
"At least we got to say goodbye to Yua-senpai....." said Hikari.

That morning, the girls had met with Yua and told them they wanted to go to Mitakihara.  
"I understand" said Yua. "There's a train going there at 10:30."  
"That's fine by us" said Hinako.  
"How are you guys going to go?" asked Yua.  
"We'll sit on top" said Kazue. "No one has to know."  
"I understand. I'll drop you off to the train station at least."  
So Yua had dropped them till the train station. The train soon arrived and the passengers began to board it.  
"So.... this is it" said Yua. "Akari-chan, Hikari-chan, its been nice to have you as part of the Poetry Club. Your poems were truly beautiful. We're.... all going to miss you."  
Yua was clearly trying to hold back her tears. Akari then went and hugged her. Hikari joined her too. Yua couldn't control her tears anymore and they fell out, but she didn't dare to sob.  
"Yua-senpai, we're going to miss you a lot" said Hikari.  
"Kirari-chan and Momoko-chan.... we're really going to miss them" said Akari.  
"Have you told them about our secret?" asked Hikari  
"No..... but I'll say that you went to Mitakihara."  
"Guys, the train is about to leave!" Kazue said.  
"We have to go now!" Akari said. "Goodbye, Yua-senapai. Tell Kirari-chan and Momoko-chan we said goodbye too."  
"Goodbye" Yua said.  
Hinako and Kazue got on the train and helped Akari and Hikari. The train started to move. Akari and Hikari waved Yua goodbye until they couldn't see her anymore.

Akari looked up at the sky reminiscing on her final goodbye to Yua.  
"Akari, what's wrong?" asked Hikari.  
"Nothing" said Akari.  
"Guys, look, we're almost there" said Kazue, pointing. The sign in front said "WELCOME TO MITAKIHARA CITY".

The train stopped at the station. Before anyone could see them, the girls got off the train.

The girls went out of the station, then took off their cloaks.  
"So this is Mitakihara City?" said Kazue.  
"Yes. I'm here all the time in my dreams. Walpurgisnacht will pass over this city and destroy it" said Akari.  
"So by the time Walpurgisnacht comes here..... Yumegawa will already be destroyed" said Hinako.  
"Yua-senapi and everyone else are still there...." Akari said.  
"Well, we still have to focus on defeating Walpurgisnacht" said Kazue.  
"That's true. But first we'll need a place to stay" said Hinako. 

The girls walked around, looking for any place to stay.

They finally came upon an abandoned Church. It looked much like the Church in Yumegawa. It was abandoned and hadn't been used for a long time.  
"We'll make our home here for now" said Hinako. "Lets hunt for Witched later."

"I'd be careful if I were you" a voice said from behind them. It was Kyubey.  
"Kyubey, where did you come from?" aksed Kazue.  
"When I heard you were coming to Mitakihara, I thought it wasn't true" said Kyubey. "What kind of magical girl wpuld abandon their territory like that?"  
"We had no choice!" exclaimed Hinako. "The people pf Yumegawa were out for our blood. It was not safe to stay there anymore. We had to leave!"  
"I guess its my fault for not telling you" saod Kyubey. "Magical girls are usually protective over their territory. They don't like it when other magical girls come into their city. The one who lives in this Church is particularly hostile."  
"Wait, so another magical girl already lives here?" said Akari. "Well, we can just live with here."  
"It doesn't work that way"said Kyubey. "Magical girls are usually hostile to other magical girls who come into their territory. And you'll have a hard time trying to convince Sakura Kyoko to let you live with her."  
"But I don't understand" said Akari. "We're all magical girls after all. We all have the same goal of fighting Witches. So why be hostile to newer magical girls?"  
"If only everyone saw things that way, Sonozaki Akari" said Kyubey. "But in reality, magical girls like you who just want to help people are quite rare. Most of them only want to collect as many Grief Seeds as possible."  
"When we meet this Sakura Kyoko, we'll try to convince her to help us" said Hikari.  
"Good luck with that. Sakura Kyoko is a really powerful. She'll beat up rookie magical girls without remorse."

"Kyubey, what are you doing here?" a voice said from behind. Outside the Church stood a young girl. She was about Akari and Hikari's age. She had long red hair tied in a ponytail with a black ribbon and wore a green hoodie and shorts. Hey eyes widened when she noticed the four girls standing there and she glared at them.  
"And just who are you, and what are you doing in MY Church?" she snapped.  
"Um, you must be Sakura Kyoko" said Akari. "Kyubey was just telling us about you. We're magical girls too. We've come from Yumegawa. But, we made a terrible mistake and now we're outcasts at Yumegawa, so we had to come here. We have no place to stay, so as a fellow magical girl, would you please let us stay with you?"  
Kyoko immediately transformed and aimed her spear straight at Akari's neck.

"You must be rookie magical girls cause you have to be a special kind of stupid to leave your own territory and expect magical girls of other territories to help you" said Kyoko.  
"We had no choice" said Hinako. "We didn't want to leave but we couldn't stay there anymore!"  
"Too bad, but that's not my problem" said Kyoko.  
"Sakura-san, please listen to us!" Hinako said.  
"I said, its not my problem!"

Kyoko hurled her spear at Hinako. It broke, forming a chain that went around Hinako and threw her back.  
"Hinako!"  
Kazue went to see if she was okay. She then glared at Kyoko.  
"Okay Sakura Kyoko, now you asked for it!"

Kazue transformed. She then summoned her chains. Kyoko threw her spear at Kazue. She jumped around and tried to bind Kyoko with her chains. Kyoko managed to avoid them. She hit Kazue a few times.  
"Kazue-san!" Akari said.  
Kazue got up again.  
"I'm fine. I'll show you what happens to those who mess with Hinako!"  
She lunged forward and punched Kyoko. Kyoko glared at her and hurled her spear again at Kazue, who threw it away. She managed to catch Kyoko with her chains, then she pushed her back. Kyoko recovered soon and caught Kazue with her spear-turned-chain.  
"You think you can come into MY territory, in MY home, and attack me?! You're mistaken!"  
She kicked Kazue in the stomach.  
"I'll show you what happens to those who interfere with me!"  
She punched Kazue again.  
"Kazue-san, stop it!" Akari said. "You'll only get hurt."  
"You have to get in between if you want to stop their fight" said Kyubey. "The only one who can stop a fight between magical girls is another magical girl!"  
"In that case..." Hinako said, getting up. She transformed. 

Kazue and Kyoko were charging at each other again. Before they could fight again, Hinako came in the middle.  
"Stop this right now!" she said.  
"But Hinako, she hurt you!" said Kazue.  
"You don't have to fight for me" said Hinako. "Sakura-san is a fellow magical girl. We shouldn't be attacking her. In fact, she could help us."  
"Help you?!" Kyoko exclaimed. "I work on my own! Now get out of here before I kill you all!"  
"Please listen to us, Sakura-san!" said Hinako. "In a few days, an extremely powerful Witch will come to Mitakihara. Her name is Walpurgisnacht, and she will destroy everything in her path!"  
"I said. Get. OUT!" Kyoko exclaimed, pointing her spear at the girls. Seeing no point in arguing further, they left the Church. 

"I told you Sakura Kyoko was hard to reason with" said Kyubey.  
"But, where do we go now?" asked Hikari.  
"I don't know if it helps but.... there's another girl I always see in my dreams" said Akari. "She has long, dark hair, and I always see her fighting Walpurgisnacht. She's most definitely a magical girl."  
"Are you by chance talking about Akemi Homura?" asked Kyubey. "She's a strange one because I don't remember making a contract with her at all."  
"You don't?" asked Akari. "But she was certainly a magical girl, so she made a contract with you. How is it that you don't remember?"  
"I do not know" said Kyubey. "She did make a contract with me but I don't remember it at all. I don't remember what her wish was. And she seems to have some strange powers. But if anyone will help you defeat Walpurgisnacht, its her. Akemi Homura is hellbent on defeating Walpurgisnacht."  
"Then, we should find Akemi Homura" said Hinako. "The more magical girls we have on our team, the better."  
"Kyubey, do you have any idea where we could find Akemi-san?" asked Akari.  
"I can take you to her" said Kyubey. "Just follow me."

As they were walking, they suddenly found themselves in a labyrinth. It resembled a garden with flowers all over. The familiars were butterflies. The Witch looked like a bush with flowers on it.  
"Everyone, transform!" Hinako said.  
The girls transformed. Hikari fought off the familiars with her key. Some of them came down upon her. Akari ran and shielded Hikari. Kazue used her chains to throw them away. Hinako pulled out her dancing ribbon and tied the familiars with it. She then danced, hoping the familiars would follow suit. The followed her, and while they were distracted, Hikari defeated them.  
"You're doing great, everyone" said Hinako. "We just need to finish the Witch now!"  
But the Witch wouldn't be defeated so easily. More familiars came their way and flew down on them.  
"Akari-san, we need a shield!" exclaimed Hinako.  
Akari nodded and summoned a shield. But she could only hold it up for so long, before she got tired. The shield disappeared.  
"Akari!"  
"I'm sorry" Akari said. "I just got tired."  
The familiars surrounded them. 

Suddenly, yellow ribbons appeared out of nowhere and bound the familiars. Shots came from above. The girls looked up and found another girl. She had blond hair tied in twin drills and wore a brown hat with white fur. She wore a beige skirt with black tips at the end and was carrying a huge gun. She winked and then shot at the familiars.  
"Are you... another magical girl?" asked Akari.  
"Yes" the girl said. "I came here because my Soul Gem detected a Witch but I didn't expect other magical girls to be here. Are you guys new?"  
"Actually, we're from Yumegawa city" said Akari.  
"I see" said the girl. "I'm Tomoe Mami, a magical girl of Mitakihara. Would you like to take this?"  
"No, you can go ahead" said Hinako.  
"Thank you" Mami said.  
More familiars attacked Mami. She jumped up and summoned multiple guns which fired many shots from up, killing the familiars. She then summoned one big gun. She winked at the girls again. 

"Tiro finale!"

The Witch was defeated and a Grief Seed came from it. Mami picked it up.  
"You can keep that" said Hinako.  
"Are you sure?" asked Mami.  
"Yes. You defeated the Witch after all."  
"Oh.... uh, thank you."  
"What's wrong?"  
"No, its just that, magical girls don't usually offer Grief Seeds. So anyways, what brings you girls to Mitakihara?"  
Akari told Mami everything that happened. Mami listened intently and shook her head. Akari even told her about their meeting with Kyoko.  
"So you met Kyoko, huh?" said Mami. She sighed.  
"Tomoe-san, would you help us in fighting against Walpurgisnacht?" asked Hinako.  
"Sure" Mami said. "I've heard of Walpurgisnacht, and the more magical girls we have to fight against her, the better."  
"Thank you very much."  
"You girls said you don't have a place to stay, right?" asked Mami. "I think I can take you in."  
"You sure about that?" asked Kazue.  
"Yes. I live alone after all" Mami said and smiled. "Lets go home now."  
She smiled at Kyubey and petted him. They all went towards Mami's home.

Mami Tomoe's house was an apartment. It was a cosy little place, with everything neatly arranged. In the living room were some cushions with a television. There was a glasss table at the side for snacks.  
"Tomoe-san, your house is really nice" said Akari.  
"Call me Mami. And thank you" said Mami. "Make yourselves comfortable here."  
Kazue immediately jumped on the cushion.  
"Aaah, it feels good to finally lay down" she said. "These cushions sure are comfortable."  
"I'll make you girls snacks and tea" said Mami.  
"I want to help" said Akari.  
"Me too" said Hikari.  
"I'm fine" said Mami. "You guys can relax. You've come a long way after all and you must be tired."  
She then went to the kitchen to make the snacks. 

Mami came out with some cakes and tea. She put it on the glass table.  
"Yay, the snacks are finally ready!" Kazue exclaimed. The girls all sat around the table. Mami put a piece of cake on each of their plates and gave them each a cup of tea.  
"Well, enjoy your snacks" she said.  
Akari took a piece of cake and ate it.  
"Wow, this is delicious!" Akari said.  
"This is like what I have at home for snacks, but somehow its even better" said Hinako.  
"I thought I'd never find better cakes than the ones at Hinako's place, but I've been proven wrong!" said Kazue. "Mami-san, your cakes really are the best!"  
"Yes, it really is good" said Hikari.  
"Thank you. I'm glad you like them" said Mami. "Kyubey, would you like some cake?"  
"Sure, I wouldn't mind" Kyubey replied.  
Mami gave Kyubey some cake.

"So you girls want to defeat Walpurgisnacht, huh?" said Mami. "I've heard of her. They say she's so powerful, she doesn't even need a labyrinth."  
"Yes. We've been training to beat Walpurgisnacht since we became magical girls" said Hikari. "Back at Yumegawa, we would practice fighting as a team by beating Witches together."  
"That's great. A team does have a better chance of beating Walpurgisnacht" said Mami.  
"Mami-san, how long have you been a magical girl?" asked Akari.  
"Well, I have been one for a long time now" Mami replied. "I certainly am trained in beating Witches."  
"That's great" said Hinako. "Having a veteran magical girl on our team will boost our chances."  
"I have another magical girl with me too" said Mami. "She's a bit new but she's passionate and growing stronger."  
"Oh, great! We won't mind having another magical girl on our team!" said Kazue  
"Is that girl's name Akemi Homura by any chance?" asked Akari.  
"Akemi.... Homura? No, its not her. The girl's name is Miki Sayaka" said Mami. "But, how do you know Akemi-san?"  
"Um.... this may sound a little strange but, I've seen her in my dreams. Every night I've been having these strange, prophetic dreams. I dreamed about Walpurgisnacht before Hikari and I became a magical girl. I even dreamed of Hikari killing father the night before she did it. In a lot of my dreams, I've seen Akemi-san."  
"I see, that is truly strange" said Mami. "But a word of warning, Akemi-san is a different type of magical girl. Every time we meet, she's been cold towards me. She says mysterious things that don't make sense. She's even tried to kill Kyubey."  
"Huh? Why would she do that?" asked Akari.  
"I don't know. But I do know that Akemi-san is not to be trusted. Be careful if you ever meet her" said Mami.  
"That can't be right" Akari thought to herself. "If Akemi-san appeared in my dreams, it has to mean something."

"Hey, why don't we take a rest today?" asked Kazue. "I feel tired after having travelled so far. We can fight Witches as a team tomorrow."  
"Sure" said Mami. "You girls must be tired after all. Today, you take rest."  
"YESSS! But, where do we sleep?" asked Kazue.  
"I can show you" said Mami. 

Mami took them to a bedroom. It had a double bed in the middle, with a table lamp at the side. It also had a large wardrobe and windows.  
"Two of you can sleep here" said Mami.  
"Akari-san and Hikari-san can sleep in this room" said Kazue.  
"Really? Are you sure?" asked Akari.  
"Yes. We can sleep outside" said Hinako.  
"Thank you, Hinako-san, Kazue-san" said Hikari.  
"No worries. I also have a guest room for you two" said Mami.  
She took Kazue and Hinako to the guest room. It was arranged similar to the other room.  
"You two can sleep here" said Mami.  
"Thank you, Mami-san" said Hinako.  
"But, where will you sleep?" asked Kazue.  
"I have my own room" said Mami.  
"So the room before was not yours?" asked Kazue.  
"No. It was my parents' room" Mami said. A look of melancholy crossed her face.  
"Mami-san, I'm so sorry" said Hinako.  
"Its fine now" said Mami. "Now, you guys can relax today. You've had a long day."

* * *

Akari found herself in the same place she had seen in all her dreams. Destroyed city, debris floating, and Walpurgisnacht looming above. She had seen it all before. She found the dark haired girl- Homura Akemi- again giving her all to beat Walpurgisnacht and still failing. Akari ran towards her.  
"Are you alright?" she asked. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard."  
All Homura did was glare at her.  
"You shouldn't be here" she said. "You should be in the shelter."  
"I'm a magical girl just like you" said Akari. "I can help you."  
"I can do this" Homura said. And she jumped back.  
Madoka Kaname came out of the shelters just then.  
"That's.... Kaname-san" Akari thought.  
Madoka went towards Kyubey and began talking to him. Homura saw this from a distance and leapt towards Madoka to try and stop her. But before she could reach her, a light formed from Kyubey and Madoka became a magical girl. She held her bow and arrow in her hand. She set her bow to her arrow and shot it at Walpurgisnacht, who was killed in an instant.  
"No way!" Akari exclaimed. "She beat Walpurgisnacht with one hit!"  
But suddenly, an ear shattering scream rang through. Akari ran towards Madoka. She was on the floor with her Soul Gem in hand. The Soul Gem was almost completely blackened.  
"Are you alright?" asked Akari.  
Madoka just looked at her.  
"Who... are you?" she asked.  
"I'm Sonozaki Akari. I'm another magical girl. I might have Grief Seeds. Let me just search."  
"No.... its too late" Madoka said.  
Before Akari could say anything, Madoka screamed again. Akari watched in horror as Madoka's Soul Gem turned into a Grief Seed. A figure then loomed above. This time it was a shadowed figure. Multiple root like threads were assembled to form the creature. It had hands that stretched all over. Akari watched in awe. This creature was most likely a Witch. And it had emerged from Madoka's Soul Gem. But how?  
Homura walked towards the Witch.  
"Akemi-san!" Akari said. "What just happened? Kaname-san's Soul Gem turned into a Grief Seed and a Witched formed from that. How?"  
Homura glared at her again.  
"It seems you haven't yet discovered the truth about magical girls" said Homura. "But I'll save you that trouble."  
Homura put her hands on her shield and turned it.

* * *

Akari suddenly woke up in a cold sweat. Her heart was beating fast.  
"Have another dream?" asked Hikari.  
"More like a nightmare" said Akari. "I.... saw something horrible. Something I can't explain.... I.... I'm scared..."  
Hikari held her and stroked her hair.  
"Its alright. I'm here" said Hikari. "Now go to sleep. It been a long day."

Next day, they woke up and had a good breakfast. It was a weekday, so Mami had gone to school. She had told the girls she would introduce them to Miki Sayaka after school. Akari still hadn't told Mami about her dream.  
"Mami-san is so nice" Kazue gushed. "I'm so glad we're having her on our team."  
"I wonder what Miki Sayaka-san is like too" said Hikari.  
Akari was quiet.  
"Akari-san, have any dreams?" asked Kazue.  
"Well..... yes, actually" Akari replied.  
She told them about her dream.  
"What could that mean?" asked Kazue.  
"I don't know" Akari replied. "But... I'm starting to see why Mami-san told us not to trust Akemi-san. I think my dreams are trying to tell me that she's up to something. But.... she's giving her all to fight Walpurgisnacht too."  
"Hmm.... even when you describe her from your dreams, this Akemi Homura seems very suspicious" said Kazue.  
"But what I want to know is, how did Kaname-san's Soul Gem turn into a Grief Seed?" asked Hinako.  
"I don't know" said Akari. "Akemi-san mentioned a truth about magical girls. She said she'd save me the trouble of knowing. If the truth is something that horrible..... maybe she's doing us a favour."  
"I still wonder though..... we know our job is dangerous. We can die fighting Witches. But.... is there some other truth?" asked Hikari.  
"Its all so strange" said Hinako.  
"I feel I have to tell Mami-san about my dream" said Akari. "She seemed to know Akemi-san so maybe she knows something."

That evening, Mami introduced the girls to Miki Sayaka. She had short, blue hair and blue eyes. She seemed to have an air of determination around her.  
"So, you're from Yumegawa, right?" asked Sayaka. "Welcome to Mitakihara!"  
"Thank you" said Akari.  
"Sayaka-chaaan" a voice echoed from the back. A girl with pink hair tied in pigtails by a red ribbon ran up to Sayaka. Akari's heart skipped a beat when she saw her- it was Kaname Madoka!  
"Sayaka-chan, you're so mean to leave me behind!" said Madoka.  
"Sorry, sorry" Sayaka said. "I thought you weren't coming."  
"I said yesterday I'd come with you and Mami-san" said Madoka.  
"Ohhh, I forgot that."  
"Geez, you're so mean" Madoka said.  
"Aww, you're so cute when you get angry" Sayaka teased Madoka.  
"Who are these people? Are they magical girls too?" asked Madoka.  
"Oh, yes. They're from Yumegawa" said Mami.  
"Sorry I forgot to introduce you" Mami said to the girls. "This is Kaname Madoka-san. She's Miki-san's best friend and has the potential to become a magical girl as well. She just hasn't decided on a wish yet."  
"Its so hard to decide" said Madoka.  
"Kaname.... san..." Akari whispered.  
"What's wrong, Akari-san?" asked Mami.  
"Ohh, nothing. Anyways, I'm Sonozaki Akari. And this is my twin sister Hikari."  
"I'm Kobayashi Kazue, and this is my wonderful girlfriend who's the daughter of the richest man in Yumegawa and also the best dancer ever, Funai Hinako! Nice to meet you!"  
"Kazue, you don't need to introduce me like that!" said Hinako.  
"But everyone needs to know how amazing you are!" said Kazue.  
The other girls giggled at them.  
"Its nice to meet you all" said Madoka. "I'm coming with you to see how to be a magical girl."  
"Now, lets go hunt some wicked Witches!" exclaimed Sayaka.

The girls Soul Gems took them to an alleyway. They soon entered a labyrinth. This time it wasn't a Witch, but a familiar.  
"This one's a familiar" said Mami. "It doesn't have a Grief Seed but if we leave it alone, it may turn into a Witch. Its better to stop it before that happens."  
The girls transformed and went to fight the familiar while Madoka stayed behind and watched.  
Hinako restrained the familiar with her dancing ribbon. A purple aura formed around it. Hinako then began to dance and the familiar followed suit. Meanwhile, Kazue, Hikari, Akari and Sayaka were fighting other familiars.  
"Mami-san, you can beat it now!" Hinako exclaimed.  
Mami assembled her ribbons to form a gun. But before she could take out the familiar, a spear got in her way. It knocked the gun out of her arms. The familiar ended up getting away and the labyrinth disappeared. 

"Why?" Kazue asked.  
A silhouette of a girl in a ponytail approached them.  
"What are you guys, stupid?" the girl asked them. It was Kyoko! "That ain't a Witch, its a familiar. It doesn't have any Grief Seeds."  
"Kyoko..." Mami said.  
Kyoko glared at Akari, Hikari, Hinako and Kazue.  
"You four.... you're the ones who invaded my Church!" Kyoko exclaimed.  
"We didn't invade it!" Hinako tried to explain. "We didn't know you lived there! We only asked you to help us!"  
"And you..." Kyoko glared at Sayaka. "You're the rookie magical girl I've heard of. Mami's new junior, huh? Word of advice, don't listen to whatever she says. She just lives in a different world where magical girls are selfless and help people, even when we get nothing for it! It won't help you in the end!"  
"How can you say that?" Sayaka asked. "We magical girls are supposed to help people. We're supposed to kill Witches so they don't kill people. Now we let that familiar get away! Its going to become a Witch and potentially kill people!"  
"Yeah, and?"  
"You don't care about that?" Sayaka asked.  
"Ever heard of the food chain?" asked Kyoko. "You must have learned about it. Witches eat humans, and we eat Witches and get Grief Seeds."  
"So you don't care that someone could die thanks to a Witch?" Sayaka was shaking now.  
"Why am I supposed to care? Those people are nothing to me. And even if I do save them, its not like they're going to thank me" said Kyoko.  
"What's going on here?" Madoka ran towards them. "Stop arguing! We're all magical girls after all!"  
"Oh look, another stupid bitch who lives in cotton candy land where everyone gets along!" said Kyoko. "Do us a favor! Get out of here."

Sayaka was seething at this point. She leapt forward, but Kyoko blocked her with her spear. Sayaka's sword and Kyoko's spear clashed. Kyoko pushed Sayaka back. Sayaka ran forward again. Kyoko then restrained Sayaka with her spear and then threw her back. Thinking she was done, she turned her back on Sayaka. But Sayaka got up.  
"I'm not done yet" she said.  
"Oh? I thought I'd killed you" said Kyoko.  
Sayaka and Kyoko's weapons clashed yet again. Kazue ran forward with her chains. Kyoko caught her just in time and pushed her back. Kazue jumped back and tried to hit Kyoko. It was now Sayaka and Kazue fighting against Kyoko.  
"Guys, please stop."  
Akari ran to try and stop the fight, but Kyoko hit her with her spear.  
"AKARI!"  
Hikari ran to check if Akari was alright.  
"I'm okay" Akari said.  
"Now you've done it!" Hikari glared at Kyoko.  
Soon, Hikari joined the fight. Her key and Kyoko's spear clashed. Kyoko knocked Hikari's key out of her hand, then kicked her in the stomach and pushed her back.  
"HIKARI!"  
Akari went towards Hikari.  
"Kyoko please, stop this senseless fighting" Mami begged her.  
"You don't tell me what to do anymore" said Kyoko.  
"I don't want to fight you" said Mami.  
"Please stop! You're all magical girls, you're not supposed to be fighting!" Madoka exclaimed.  
"Stay out of this, will you?" Kyoko asked.  
"Madoka, its dangerous. You can't come in the middle" said Sayaka.  
"But...." Madoka began. 

Suddenly, time seemed to stop for a while. A dark haired girl appeared- she was Homura Akemi.  
"Who are you?" Kyoko asked. She raised her spear but before she knew it, Homura was gone. She was right behind her. She grabbed Kyoko and then hit her.  
"This fight will get you nowhere" she said. "You'd better leave."  
Kyoko glared at her, then ran away.  
"What do you want?" asked Mami.  
"Nothing much. I saw your little fight and came to stop it" said Homura. She then turned to Madoka.  
"Next time be careful about putting yourself in trouble like this" she said. Her attention then turned to Akari, Hikari, Kazue and Hinako.  
"You're.... Akemi Homura-san, aren't you?" asked Akari.  
"How do you know?" asked Homura.  
"I.... see you in my dreams" said Akari.  
"I see. You're magical girls from Yumegawa, are you not?" Homura asked.  
"Yes" Hinako replied. "But how-"  
"I'll be keeping my eye on you."  
Saying this, Homura disappeared. 

That night at Mami's house, the girls discussed what had happened.  
"Akemi-san sure is weird" said Kazue. "You were right about her."  
"I don't know what it is, but she seems to have some other motives" said Mami. "I just can't figure out what it is"  
"Moreover, she seemed to appear and disappear at random places" said Hikari. "What's up with that?"  
Akari was still reminiscing on her first meeting with Homura and her dream the previous night. She still hadn't told Mami about it.  
"Actually.... I had a dream about her last night" she said.  
She told Mami about her dream.  
"That is very strange indeed" said Mami. "The truth about magical girls, huh....."  
"Wait.... Akari-san, you said Akemi-san turned her shield and that was where your dream ended?" asked Hinako.  
"Yes."  
"And Akemi-san's powers are so strange it seems she was appearing and disappearing at random spots. Having that much speed is impossible" said Hinako. "Besides, you can't dream about a person unless you've seen them before. But, as far as we remember, none of us had met Akemi-san. But Akari-san keeps seeing her in her dreams."  
"Funai-san, what are you implying here?" asked Mami.  
"What I'm saying is, Akemi Homura has time travelling powers. And she seems to be resetting the timeline."  
"So you're telling me.... all of this, we've gone through it before?" asked Kazue.  
"Yes. She's probably reset the timeline multiple times now and we've been reliving these moments without knowing."  
"Then that means..... if Akemi-san resets the timeline again, Akari and I..... we'll be stuck with our parents again..." Hikari said.  
"And I'll be stuck with my mother again..... oh God, I can't bear to think about being stuck in a time loop!" Kazue said.  
"Maybe this could explain Akari-san's dreams" said Hinako. "Your dreams must be memories from other timelines."  
"Hmm.... that does make sense" said Akari. "Still, the idea of being stuck in a time loop...."  
"I know what we must do now!" said Kazue. "Before defeating Walpurgisnacht, we must stop Akemi Homura from resetting the timeline again!"


	8. What other option do I have?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: No warnings for this chapter

Akari found herself in the same place she'd always seen in her dreams. Walpurgisnacht was flying, her taunting laugh echoing throughout the city. Akari found the ring which contained her Soul Gem on her finger. She summoned her Soul Gem and transformed.  
"This time, I won't let her hurt anyone" she thought. She summoned multiple shields and jumped up. Walpurgisnacht's familiars perched on top of the shields and kicked them down. Akari was thrown down.  
"Wow, I can't even go near her" Akari thought.  
Another magical girl came in front of her - it was Homura Akemi.  
"Akemi... san..." Akari said.  
Homura jumped up and tried to beat Walpurgisnacht, but her efforts were once again in vain. Akari once again spotted Madoka talking to Kyubey.  
"That's... Kaname-san..." thought Akari.  
Homura tried to stop Madoka from contracting with Kyubey, but in vain. A light formed and Madoka became a magical girl. She summoned her bow and set an arrow to it. She was able to beat Walpurgisnacht in one hit.  
Walpurgisnacht was defeated. Madoka suddenly screamed, a yell that echoed throughout. Madoka's Soul Gem suddenly turned into a Grief Seed. A large figure, with roots assembling to form a vague figure of a human body loomed above.  
"This is..." Akari remembered her previous dream, where she had seen this. "That's a Witch. But why..."  
She suddenly noticed Homura putting her hand on her shield.  
"She's turning back time. If she does that, Hikari and I will be stuck in our home again. We'll have to relive everything again" Akari thought.  
She ran forward and grabbed Homura from behind.  
"Stop! Don't turn back time!" Akari exclaimed.  
Homura fought her off.  
"Just what are you doing?" asked Homura.  
"You're continuously turning back time, causing me to have these strange dreams" said Akari. "Hikari and I will have to be stuck in our awful home again. We'll have to relive everything."  
"What other option do I have?!" Homura exclaimed. "Just take a look. The town is destroyed. And in a while, that Witch will destroy the entire world. So let... me.... GO!"  
Homura pushed Akari away and turned her shield, causing time to reverse.

Akari suddenly woke up.  
"That dream again...." she said. "What does it mean?"  
"Akari, the same dream again?" asked Hikari.  
"Yeah" said Akari.  
"Gosh. We should really find Akemi Homura and stop her soon." said Hikari.

The girls sat around the table and had breakfast.  
"This is delicious!" said Kazue.  
"I'm glad you like it" said Mami.  
"Mami-san.." Akari said. "You know Akemi-san, right?"  
"Yes. Akemi-san always seemed mysterious" said Mami. "She'd often try to kill Kyubey. And she'd say cryptic things that didn't make sense. She'd always show up out of nowhere. But, the thought that she might be a time traveler and is resetting the timeline...."  
"I've actually suspected such a thing" said Kyubey. "Akemi Homura is a magical girl, but I don't remember making a contract with her, or what her wish was. That could only mean she was going back in time."  
"And now that I think about it, the thought that I've been reliving all the horrible moments I've had with my mother..... it just scares me" said Kazue.  
"I personally don't think we should fight Akemi Homura" said Hinako. "She might have reasons for turning back time. But by doing so, she's making all of us relive our worst moments again."  
"We must explain it to her" said Hikari.  
"If only it was that simple, but not all magical girls would just sit and listen" said Mami. "Like I said, Akemi-san is different. She most likely wouldn't listen or care."  
"But we have to try" said Akari. "Like Hinako-san said, she may have a reason for doing that. So, we should try and talk to her. She's another magical girl after all."  
Akari didn't tell them what else she saw in her dream - about Madoka's Soul Gem becoming a Grief Seed, and about the other Witch she saw. What did it all mean?  
What should she make of it?  
"Do you think we should tell Miki-san about this?" asked Hinako.  
"Miki-san already has a strong dislike of Akemi-san" said Mami. "If we tell her, she might try to fight Akemi-san head on. I think we should keep it from her for now."

"But aside from that, since you girls are new to Mitakihara, I think its only fair of us to give you a tour of the city" said Mami. "What do you think of that?"  
"We'd love to see this city" said Akari.  
"I'm glad" said Mami. "Miki-san and Kaname-san are coming along too. They want to get to know you girls better."

It was a weekend, so they were able to meet Madoka and Sayaka.  
"How are you guys doing?" Sayaka asked.  
"We're fine" said Akari.  
"We hope you'll like Mitakihara city" said Madoka.  
"So where should we go first?" asked Mami.  
"Isn't it obvious? We'll start by going to our favourite place!" said Sayaka.  
"Where's that?" asked Akari. 

Madoka, Mami and Sayaka took the girls to the Mitakihara City mall. It was a large place, with many floors. The girls stared in awe.  
"Wowwww!" Kazue exclaimed. "Even the mall at Yumegawa wasn't this big!"  
"I'm glad you like it" said Sayaka. "I want to show you guys to my favourite store here first."  
Sayaka took them to a music store.  
"Wowww.... there's so much stuff here" said Akari.  
"Hey guys look, I found Mina-chan's new album here!" exclaimed Kazue.  
"Oh yeahhh.... we had got the new album, but we'd left it behind" said Akari.  
"Ah, this is just what I was looking for!" Sayaka pulled out a CD that had classical music.  
"Wowww.... Miki-san, you're into classical music?" asked Kazue.  
"Not really, but I just buy these for.... for a friend" said Sayaka.  
"This album is so expensive" said Akari holding an album from Mina. "I wish I could get it."  
"Hinakooo, can you help?" asked Kazue.  
"Huh? I don't have any money" said Hinako.  
"But you're rich" said Kazue.  
"And I left all my belongings and money in Yumegawa" said Hinako. "My parents can't send me money here. And even if they could, they wouldn't."  
"Hinako-san...." Akari said.  
"W-Well, lets forget about that" said Madoka. "You're in Mitakihara now. If you need any help, we're there for you."  
"That's right" said Mami. "We're here for you guys."  
"Thank you" said Hinako.  
"Lets explore somewhere else now" said Sayaka. 

The girls then went to a clothing store.  
"Wowww..... these dresses are so cute" said Akari.  
"We don't have many clothes since we came to Mitakihara" said Hikari. "So we could do with some new clothes."  
"I'll pick them all out" said Mami.  
"You will?" asked Kazue.  
"Yes. Like Hikari-san said, you do need new clothes after all. So I'll buy them for you" said Mami.  
"Mami-san, thank you!" exclaimed Kazue.  
"Mami-san is so kind" said Sayaka.  
The girls shopped for their clothes there. Akari saw a long sleeved, grey dress.  
"Ah, that looks nice" she said.  
The grey dress resembled Homura's outfit. She suddenly got flashbacks to her dream. Akari rubbed her eyes.  
"Akari-san, what's wrong?" asked Madoka.  
Akari looked at Madoka. She remembered Madoka's Soul Gem becoming a Grief Seed.  
"Why.... how is Kaname-san so powerful?" thought Akari.  
"Kaname-san.... are you going to be a magical girl?" asked Akari.  
"What? I would, but I haven't really decided on a wish" said Madoka.  
"I see...."  
"Akari-san, is something wrong?"  
"Kaname-san, have you heard of prophetic dreams?"  
"Prophetic dreams? Yes, I've heard of them."  
"What would you do if you saw something so unthinkably horrible in your dream, that you couldn't tell anyone? And knowing that it would come true?"  
Madoka just remained silent.  
"....Ah, never mind. I'm sorry about that."  
Akari went back to picking her clothes.  
"Akari-san...." Madoka said. 

Kazue had finished picking out her clothes and went outside the store.  
"Aaah. It feels good to buy new clothes" she said. She spotted an arcade in front of her.  
'Oh, wow! I didn't know this place had an arcade!" Kazue exclaimed. She went towards it.  
"Wow, this is so cool!" she exclaimed. She then saw a familiar looking girl with red hair playing on the dancing game.  
"Sakura-san!"  
Kazue went closer. It was only then she saw Homura waiting behind Kyoko. Kyoko then turned around.  
"What are they up to?" Kazue thought. She hid behind. Kyoko and Homura were talking, but Kazue couldn't hear them because of the loud music.  
"Whatever they're up to, its definitely no good!" thought Kazue.  
She suddenly slipped and fell. Kyoko and Homura turned back.  
"Its... you! From back then!" said Kyoko. "Why do you always show up where I don't want? Where are your friends?"  
"What are you and Akemi-san up to?" asked Kazue.  
"That's..." Kyoko began.  
"Its none of your business" said Homura. "You shouldn't even be here. You and your friends are lucky Tomoe Mami is kind enough to take you in."  
"I know you're up to something" said Kazue. "Especially you, Akemi-san."  
"And what makes you think that?" asked Homura.  
"Because you tur-"  
"Kazue!"  
Hinako ran into the arcade.  
"What are you doing?" she asked.  
"Akemi-san and Sakura-san are definitely up to something!" said Kazue. "They were discussing something!"  
Homura just flipped her hair.  
"What we were discussing is none of your business" she said. "Now, you might want to go along. We don't want to fight in a public place."  
"Kazue, lets leave" said Hinako.  
"What? But Akemi-san is here! We were planning to stop her!" exclaimed Kazue.  
"Even so, she's right. We can't fight in a public place. So lets go" said Hinako.  
Kazue and Hinako then exited the arcade. 

"Where were you guys?" asked Mami.  
"We were just checking out the arcade" said Hinako.  
"Oh yeah, that place is pretty cool" said Sayaka. "Do you wanna go there?"  
"No, lets go to another place for now" said Hinako.

They went to the mall cafe for lunch.  
"This food is really good" said Kazue.  
"Mitakihara seems great so far" said Hikari.  
"I'm glad you like it" said Madoka. 

After finishing their time at the mall, they went outside.  
"You guys should come to our school" said Sayaka. "Its really huge, and you'll surely like it."  
"Does it have a poetry club?" asked Akari.  
"And a dance club?" asked Hinako.  
"Well, we do have the literature club" said Madoka. "And there's a ballet club."  
"That seems great" said Kazue. 

Suddenly, Akari spotted a Grief Seed stuck to a wall.  
"What's that?" she asked.  
"That's... a Grief Seed" said Hinako. "What's it doing there?"  
"We have to stop it before it becomes a Witch" said Sayaka.  
She transformed and summoned her sword. She was about to destroy the Grief Seed when suddenly, a familiar spear got in the way.  
"What the-"  
Kyoko descended on them.  
"Sakura-san!" Kazue exclaimed. "I knew you were up to something!"  
"How many times do I have to tell you dummies?" Kyoko said. "Wait till it hatches into a Witch. Then you can defeat it."  
"Can you STOP getting in our way?" asked Sayaka.  
"Unless you stop being dummies, no" said Kyoko. "And I see Mami-san is teaching all of you her ways too. Newsflash, its not gonna work."  
"Sakura-san.... I.." Mami looked down.  
"Don't you DARE speak about Mami-san like that!" exclaimed Sayaka.  
She charged forward with her sword. Kyoko dodged it. She hurled her spear at Sayaka. "Stop fighting, please" said Mami. "In a little while, the Grief Seed will...." The Grief Seed suddenly exploded and the girls found themselves in a labyrinth. It was made entirely of different kinds of sweets.  
"Wow, this looks tasty" said Kazue.  
"Kazue, focus" said Hinako.  
"What did you do?" asked Sayaka.  
"I left the Grief Seed long enough so that it becomes a labyrinth" said Kyoko. "If anything, you should be thanking me. Now you have a Witch to defeat and you can get your own Grief Seed."  
"Now it will lure people into its labyrinth and kill them!" said Sayaka. "Anyways, lets find this Witch."  
Sayaka ran forward.  
"Not if I do it first!"  
Kyoko ran following Sayaka. Mami looked at them and sighed. 

"Tomoe-san, you knew Sakura-san?" asked Akari. "That's not important now" said Mami. "Lets transform now." Everyone transformed, except for Madoka. They then ran forward, till they found Sayaka and Kyoko. They were fighting familiars.

A familiar was behind Kyoko. Akari ran towards her with a shield. The familiar hit the shield. Hikari defeated it with her key.  
"Sakura-san, are you alright?" asked Akari.  
"I'm fine. I would've got it myself" said Kyoko.  
She used her spear to get more familiars away from her.  


Mami summoned her ribbons and used them to make multiple guns. She shot at the familiars.  
"Those are MINE!"  
Kyoko killed them with her spear.  
"Sakura-san...."  
"Can you LEAVE Mami-san ALONE?" Sayaka asked.  
"You don't tell me what to do! I found this Witch first!" exclaimed Kyoko.  
They began to fight again.  
"Stop it you two!" Madoka said, coming forward. "You're in a labyrinth! You shouldn't fight, you should help each other defeat the Witch!"  
"Kaname-san, watch out!"  
Hinako kicked the familiar behind Madoka away from her.  
"Funai-san..."  
"Be careful" said Hinako. She went on to defeat more of the familiars.  
Sayaka and Kyoko were still fighting.  
"You two, stop fighting!" said Mami. "At this rate, the Witch-"  
At that moment, the Witch appeared behind them. It didn't look like much, just resembled a child, with round blue eyes.  
"There it is!" exclaimed Kazue.  
She summoned her chains, then used it to restrain the Witch. It opened its mouth and a huge worm came out from it.  
"What the heck is that?!" exclaimed Kazue.  
The Witch's attention was turned to Sayaka and Kyoko, who were still fighting. It slowly went towards them.  
"MIKI-SAN, SAKURA-SAN, LOOK OUT!" exclaimed Kazue. 

Suddenly, gunshots echoed from above. In the blink of an eye, Homura Akemi appeared. She flipped her hair, then shot at the Witch more times. It tried to eat Homura but she was too agile.  
"How is she going so fast?" asked Kazue. "She's definitely stopping time."  
"Why are you here?" asked Kyoko.  
"I couldn't simply leave you alone in a labyrinth fighting Miki Sayaka" said Homura. "You would've perished."  
The Witch suddenly enclosed Homura within its mouth.  
"Homura-chan!" Madoka exclaimed.  
The Witch then started feeling uneasy. It exploded, leaving behind a mass of blood. 

The labyrinth disappeared and a Grief Seed fell down. Homura took it.  
"Hey, that was supposed to be mine!" Kyoko said.  
Suddenly, Kazue hurled her chains at Homura. She immediately dodged it.  
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Homura.  
"You.... you were definitely stopping time back then!" Kazue exclaimed. "There was no way you could move that fast."  
Homura said nothing.  
"Akemi-san..... is it true that you've been resetting the timeline?" asked Akari.  
"She's been doing what?" asked Sayaka.  
"She's been resetting the timeline multiple times, making us relive all our horrible moments. All those moments with my mother....."  
"It seems you've figured it out" said Homura. "Yes, I'm not from this time. I'm from the future. And I've been resetting the timeline."  
"But why?" asked Akari.  
"That's a secret" said Homura. "Now if you'll excuse me...."  
Just as Homura turned to go, Mami restrained her with her ribbons.  
"Not until you explain what's going on" said Mami. "You've always saying things that don't make sense. Why are you resetting the timeline? What is going on?"  
"That is none of your business" said Homura. "Now let me go!"  
She managed to take out a gun and shoot at the ribbons keeping her restrained. 

"We're not going to let you turn back time again!" exclaimed Hikari. She directed the pins of her key towards Homura, who dodged them. She took guns and shot at the girls. Akari set up a shield near Hikari. Kazue chased Homura with her chains.  
"Answer us!" she exclaimed. "Why are you stopping time?"  
Suddenly, she was restrained by Kyoko's spear.  
"Sakura-san..."  
"I don't know what's going on, but I won't let you hurt my partner" said Kyoko. "Run now!"  
"You won't get away!" Sayaka, Mami and Hinako jumped in front of Homura.  
"What is going on here?" asked Sayaka.  
"What reason do you have to reset the timeline, making us live our worst memories over and over again?" asked Hinako.  
The girls were now in a fist-to-fist fight with Homura.  
"You... just.... don't.... UNDERSTAND" said Homura. "The whole city is at stake with the arrival of Walpurgisnacht. She will destroy the planet itself."  
"Walpurgisnacht?" said Hinako.  
"The most powerful Witch" said Mami.  
"Walpurgisnacht will destroy everything" said Homura. "That's something you don't understand."  
She went towards Madoka and took her hands.  
"Homura....chan...?"  
"Yes, Walpurgisnacht will destroy everything. So, please...."  
She looked deeply into Madoka's eyes, then left.  
"Homura-chan...."  
"She is one mysterious girl" said Kazue.

After the fight, everyone went to their own homes.  
"Akemi-san..... what is her purpose exactly?" asked Hinako.  
"She mentioned that Walpurgisnacht will destroy everything" said Hikari.  
"Could it be.... that Walpurgisnacht wins in all those timelines.... that's why she's always resetting the timeline?" asked Akari.  
"That could be a good reason" said Kazue.  
"Lets not think too much about it now" said Mami. "We need to rest."

* * *

Akari found herself on a bridge. Sayaka and Kyoko were there.  
"Miki-san... Sakura-san... what are they doing here?" she thought.  
The two girls transformed and began to fight.  
"No, they shouldn't be doing this" she thought.  
"Miki-san, Sakura-san, don't do this!" she exclaimed. "You're both magical girls, you shouldn't be fighting!"  
She tried to get in their way, but Sayaka's sword grazed her hand. Akari looked at her hand and saw that it was bleeding.  
"Miki-san... Sakura-san... please stop" she thought.  
The two girls seemed to be fighting until the bitter end. Suddenly, Sayaka was at the edge of the bridge. Kyoko smirked and pushed her down.  
"MIKI-SAN!"

She suddenly woke up.  
"Miki-san... Sakura-san..."  
Without telling anyone, she ran outside, to the bridge.

* * *

Kyoko and Sayaka were standing at the bridge, facing each other. Kyoko summoned her Soul Gem and transformed. Sayaka then summoned her Soul Gem.  
"Sayaka-chan, stop!" Madoka ran towards Sayaka.  
"Madoka..?"  
"Oh look, the annoying bitch has an annoying friend. Who would've thought" said Kyoko.  
"Then I wonder what kind of people you hang out with" Homura appeared behind Kyoko.  
"Stand back" said Kyoko.  
"Miki-san, Sakura-san!"  
Akari appeared on to the scene.  
"Please, you guys, don't fight" she exclaimed. "You're both magical girls, you're supposed to fight Witches, not each other!"  
"Akari-san is right" said Madoka. "Please stop this."  
Sayaka ignored them and held her Soul Gem in front of her. Without thinking, Madoka ran and snatched Sayaka's Soul Gem.  
"Sayaka-chan, I'm so sorry" she said.  
She threw the Soul Gem over the bridge.  
"Madoka, what did you..." Sayaka suddenly went limp and fell into Madoka's arms.  
"Sayaka-chan?"  
"Miki-san?"  
Homura disappeared in the blink of an eye.  
"Sayaka-chan? Sayaka-chan? Please wake up!" Madoka said.  
"Miki-san, hang in there!" said Akari  
Kyoko grabbed Sayaka's collar, then looked at her empty eyes.  
"What's going on?" she asked.  
"Madoka, that was a very bad thing you did" said Kyubey. "How could you just throw your friend like that?"  
"What are you talking about, Kyubey?" asked Madoka tearfully. "Save her! Please don't let Sayaka-chan die!"

"Madoka, that's not Sayaka, that's just an empty shell" said Kyubey. "You just threw Sayaka over the bridge."  
"What are you talking about?" asked Kyoko.  
"I couldn't let you girls fight Witches in those weak bodies" said Kyubey. "You would easily get injured. In order to prevent that, your souls are given physical forms, that you can carry with your hands. That's what I do when I form a contract. I take your souls and turn them into Soul Gems."  
Akari looked at her ring. Kyoko grabbed Kyubey by his ear.  
"What have you done to us, you.... you bastard! You turned us into zombies!" she exclaimed  
"You humans always have the same reaction when you find out the truth." said Kyubey. "Why do you place so much importance on where you soul is placed? This is the only reason you are able to last so long in fights where you would normally be severely injured or killed."  
Madoka was crying over Sayaka's body. Homura appeared and put Sayaka's Soul Gem in her hands. She came back to life and looked around.  
"What? What's going on?" she asked.

* * *

Akari walked into Mami's house. Everyone seemed to be asleep. She took out her Soul Gem.  
"This is.... me..." she thought.  
"Akari?"  
Hikari was standing outisde her room.  
"Where did you go?"


	9. Its best you don't know

Akari, Hikari, Kazue, Hinako, and Mami were in a labyrinth, fighting a Witch. Hikari got her way through familiars with her key. Hinako danced as a distraction. Mami summoned several guns and shot at the familiars.  
"Akari-san, cover me" she said.  
"On it."  
Akari summoned a shield to cover Mami. Suddenly, another familiar came in front of her. It was about to break Mami's Soul Gem, when Akari stepped forward and pushed it away with her shield.  
"Thank you, Akari-san" said Mami.  
Akari then summoned a large shield. She ran forward, punching and kicking any familiars in sight.  
"Akari-san, what are you doing?" asked Kazue.  
Akari was suddenly caught in a trap. She struggled and fought her way out of it. A familiar hurled a sharp thorn at her. It grazed her arm, causing her to bleed. She didn't let it bother her. She ran forward and jumped towards the Witch. She then used her shield to punch it. More thorns came her way and injured her. But she didn't let it bother her at all. She just hit the Witch until it was gone. 

The labyrinth disappeared. A Grief Seed fell down. Akari picked it up.  
"Akari-san, that was really reckless of you" said Mami. "You could've been killed."  
"Akari-san, just what were you thinking going in on the Witch like that?" asked Hinako.  
"You're really injured" said Hikari. "And your Soul Gem is significantly darkened."  
"Oh...?"  
Akari looked at her Soul Gem. It really had darkened by a good amount.  
"Lets go home now" said Mami. "You're lucky to have survived, but next time, please be careful Akari-san."  
"You're right. I'm sorry" said Akari.  
Everyone began to make their way home.  
"Akari, what's really going on with you?" asked Hikari.  
"Nothing. I'm fine" said Akari.  
Hikari looked at her sister knowingly. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.  
"You can tell me whenever you're ready" she said. "Lets go home now."

Akari looked as Hikari joined the other girls.  
"I'm sorry, Hikari, and everyone else" thought Akari. "You're all better off not knowing the truth."  
She thought back to the previous night, when she just came back home.

* * *

_"Akari? Where did you go?"  
Akari swallowed her breath. She couldn't tell Hikari the truth. Not after everything they had been through. It was too much, even for her.  
"I.... I had a dream...." she said.  
"A dream?"  
"Yes. Sakura-san and Miki-san were fighting in it, so I went to stop them."  
Yes, that was the truth. That was what she had gone out for. Finding the truth about Soul Gems was something she hadn't planned on.  
"Is that all?" asked Hikari.  
"Yeah" said Akari. "I couldn't stand to see them fight so I went to stop them."  
Hikari looked at Akari for a while. Akari held her breath  
"Its really late now" she said. "Lets go back to sleep."  
Akari finally released her breath. She went back to her room and slept, but the truth about Soul Gems was still on her mind.  
"Sorry, Hikari" she thought. "Its best you don't know."_

* * *

"When are you going to tell them the truth?" a voice said. Akari looked behind to find Kyubey, staring at her.  
"Its best they don't know... what you've done to them" said Akari.  
"Even if you don't tell them now, they'll eventually find out" said Kyubey.  
"But.... its best to keep it away from them.... as long as possible" said Akari.  
"Well, its your choice" said Kyubey. "But tell me, Sonozaki Akari, by keeping the truth from them..... aren't you doing the same thing I did?"  
Akari didn't answer.  
"Well, I'm going home. Its getting late" said Akari. She went to join the other girls. 

Back at home, Mami made tea and snacks for the girls.  
"You all did well today" she said. "Though as I said before, Akari-san, please do be more careful in the future."  
"Yes. I'm sorry" said Akari.  
Hikari just looked at her.  
"Mami-san's cakes are the best!" exclaimed Kazue.  
"I wish I could make cakes like this" said Hinako.  
"Its not that hard" said Mami. "One day I can teach you."  
"You can?" said Hinako.  
"Yes, Mami-san please teach me too! Then I can make cakes whenever I want!" exclaimed Kazue.  
"Kazue would burn the whole kitchen if she were to cook" said Hinako.  
"Hey, that's mean!" said Kazue.  
"Kobayashi-san can learn" said Mami. "I wasn't good at it either, but I eventually learned."  
"You don't know Kazue like I do" Hinako said jokingly.  
"Hinakooo, you're so meeaaaann!" Kazue whined and pushed Hinako.  
"Hey, hey, I'm just joking" said Hinako. "You'll make me drop my tea!"  
"Apologize first" Kazue pouted.  
"I'm sorry" said Hinako. "I love you, Kazue!"  
"Aww, I love you two, Hinako."  
The two looked at each other lovingly.  
"Kobayashi-san and Funai-san sure are close" said Mami.  
"I wish I had a relationship like that" said Hikari.  
Akari smiled, seeing the girls having fun and bonding.  
"They're all having such fun" she thought. "If they find out the truth..... no, I must keep it from them."

That night, when the girls were sleeping, Akari heard someone calling her.  
"Hey, Akari...." a voice said in her head. Akari woke up and looked outside the window to see Kyoko standing there.  
"Come down" Kyoko said telepathically.  
Akari went down to see Kyoko.  
"Have you told them the truth?" asked Kyoko.  
"No... I think its best they don't know" said Akari.  
"Good. Keep it from them as long as possible. Especially Mami-san. If she finds out...."  
"Sakura-san, you know Mami-san pretty well don't you?" asked Akari.  
Kyoko just stayed silent.  
"Anyways, I wanted to tell you.... about Sayaka. She's taking this whole thing pretty badly. She's being really reckless in fighting Witches. I hate to say it but, I'm worried about her."  
"Has Kaname-san tried talking to her?" asked Akari.  
"She has, but Sayaka is in such a state that she refuses to listen to anyone. Lets just say if she continues fighting like this, something bad is going to happen to her."  
"Where is Miki-san now?" asked Akari. 

Kyoko and Akari went to look for Sayaka. They found her kneeling down and panting. She seemed to have just fought a Witch.  
"Miki-san!"  
Akari ran towards her.  
"Akari..."  
Akari helped her up.  
"Are you alright?" she asked.  
"Never been better" said Sayaka.  
Akari noticed Sayaka's Soul Gem, which was significantly darkened.  
"Miki-san, your Soul Gem..... have you not purified it?"  
"I don't need to..."  
"You must..... let me see if I have any Grief Seeds... I..."  
"Stop. "  
"Miki.... san?"  
"Why are you helping me? We've only known each other for a few days."  
"Because, you showed us around Mitakihara City. You've helped us a lot. And besides.... we're both magical girls. We're supposed to look out for each other. So, please...."  
"That's not what I've seen....." Sayaka said. "Most magical girls are selfish. They'd let a human die, so long as they can get what they want. Magical girls like Sakura Kyoko and Akemi Homura."  
"Miki-san...."  
"But I'm different..... I'm going to be a different magical girl than all of them. I'll fight Witches till my last breath."  
"Fighting like that is not healthy" said Akari. "And besides, what about Kaname-san? I'm sure she's worried about you."  
"If Madoka wanted to help, she could become a magical girl, like us!" exclaimed Sayaka. "But she won't. Madoka doesn't understand any of this."  
"How can you say that about your best friend?"  
Sayaka remained silent.  
"Please, let me go now" said Sayaka.  
She let go of Akari and went her own way.

"Miki-san...."  
"There's no point helping her from now" a voice said from behind her.  
"Akemi-san.."  
"Miki Sayaka is beyond helping at this point" said Homura. "There's no point in trying to help her."  
"But...."  
"You should forget about Miki Sayaka from here" said Homura. "She won't listen to anyone at this point."  
"Akemi-san, why are you being so cold?" asked Akari. "Sayaka-san is a magical girl like us. We have to help her."  
".... I only know one girl as naive as you, Sonozaki Akari" said Homura. "And I'll tell you the same thing I told her. Being too kind is not something for magical girls. It will only bring you pain."  
Saying this, she flipped her hair and went away.  
"Akemi-san.... just who are you? And why are you doing all this?"

The next day, the girls were fighting a Witch again. Hikari and Mami worked together to defeat all the familiars. Hinako and Kazue also worked together. Akari was more careful this time. She covered Mami and Hikari. Suddenly, she noticed Sayaka going directly at the Witch.  
"Miki-san, wait!" she exclaimed.  
"I've got this" Sayaka said.  
She dodged the familiars' attacks, not flinching if she was hit by anything. She jumped towards the Witch, in an attempt to kill it, but was grabbed by vines. Mami acted quickly, using her guns to shoot at the vines and free Sayaka.  
"Miki-san, you mustn't be so reckless" said Mami. "You could get hurt."  
"No problem. I can do this" said Sayaka.  
She jumped towards the Witch again and cut off its head. She cut off any of the vines that came towards her. She then repeatedly bashed the Witch with her sword, until the labyrinth was gone. 

A Grief Seed fell down. Sayaka picked it up.  
"Miki-san, that was really reckless of you" said Mami. "You could've been hurt or killed."  
"Don't worry about me, Mami-san" said Sayaka. "I'm fine."  
"Miki-san, what is going on with you lately?" asked Mami. "Everyday, you get more and more reckless. You go headfirst into things, not caring if you would get hurt. What is happening with you?"  
"You don't wanna know" said Sayaka. "You wouldn't understand."  
"What?! Miki-san, I'm your friend. You can tell me anything."  
"I said you wouldn't understand!" Sayaka yelled. Mami took a step back. Sayaka looked at the pain in Mami's eyes.  
"Mami-san.... I...."  
She then ran away.

"Miki-san...."  
"Geez, what is going on with her?" asked Kazue.  
"Akari, do you know anything about this?" Hikari asked telepatically.  
"No.... I don't" Akari responded.  
Hikari just kept silent.  
"Lets go home now" said Mami. 

Mami made tea and snacks for the girls as usual.  
"Miki-san has been acting strangely like this for a while now" said Mami. "She has always been stubborn and determined, but she's taken it to a whole other level."  
"She was acting a lot like Akari-san did that day" said Kazue.  
"I don't know what got into her" said Hinako.  
"I think something must have happened. Either within her family, or to her friends" said Mami. "The same thing happened with Sakura-san. She wasn't always the way she was."  
"Sakura-san? What do you mean?" asked Kazue.  
"Sakura-san and I were great friends before this. She looked up to me as a mentor. But then, something terrible happened. Her father found out she was a magical girl. He called Sakura-san a Witch. After that, he fell into a depression. And finally, he killed his whole family, along with himself. That event shook Sakura-san. Her ideologies changed, and we fell out. That's why....."  
"Mami-san..." Hikari said.  
"And now, the same thing might be happening to Miki-san. I wish I could help her. But she won't be honest about what her problem is" said Mami.  
Akari wondered if she should tell the girls the truth. But later she decided against it. Kyubey was staring at her, his red eyes boring into her.

The next day, Akari had gone grocery shopping. As she was buying things, she noticed Kyoko taking an apple and slipping away.  
"Hey, Sakura-san!" Akari called out to her. Kyoko stopped in her tracks and looked back at Akari.  
"Akari, why are you here?" asked Kyoko.  
"I was buying groceries" said Akari

"Did you speak to Sayaka?" asked Kyoko.  
"She's just getting worse" said Akari. "Mami-san has noticed there's something off about her. She thinks its something wrong with her family. I..... can't tell her the truth."  
"Keep it from her as long as possible" said Kyoko. "We have to find Sayaka now."

The girls went around, looking for Sayaka.  
"Sayaka!"  
"Miki-san!"

"She isn't anywhere here" said Kyoko.  
"Look there!" Akari pointed somewhere.  
Sayaka had just finished fighting a Witch. She had destransformed.  
"Miki-san!"  
"Sayaka!"  
The girls ran towards her. They helped her up and got her to sit.  
"Are you alright?" asked Akari.  
"I'm fine" said Sayaka.  
"You're really overdoing it" said Kyoko.  
"Hey, you two, I'm sorry for all the troubles" said Sayaka.  
"Really?" said Kyoko.  
"Yes. I've certainly caused you a lot of trouble. I yelled at Mami-san, my mentor who I looked up to. I even hurt my best friend."  
"Kaname-san.... is she alright?" Akari thought.

Sayaka showed her Soul Gem to Kyoko and Akari. They were taken aback. The Soul gem was full of impurities.   
"Miki-san, your Soul Gem..." Akari said.  
"For every person blessed with happiness, someone else gets cursed. That's how it is for us magical girls" said Sayaka.   
Her eyes began to fill with tears.  
"I'm really stupid" she said.  
A tear fell into her Soul Gem. A black light engulfed the whole area. Akari and Kyoko were thrown back. Sayaka's Soul Gem became a Grief Seed.   
"SAYAKAAAA!" Kyoko screamed. 

The girls were now in a labyrinth. It resembled a concert hall. The familiars played their violins as the Witch directed them.   
"How did we get here?" Akari said. "Where's Miki-san?"  
They ran and found Sayaka lying on the floor.   
"Sayaka!"  
Kyoko ran and picked her up.   
"What's going on?" Akari said.   
"I don't know. Where did that Witch come from?" Kyoko asked.   
They ran and dodged the familiars' attacks.   
"Akari, go and call Mami-san and the others. I'll try to hold off this Witch" said Kyoko.   
"Yes!"

Mami, Hikari, Hinako, and Kazue were waiting for Akari at Mami's home.   
"Akari sure is late" said Hikari.   
"She must be trying to find her way around" said Mami. "I should have gone with her."  
Suddenly, the door opened.   
"Akari, there you are" said Hikari.   
"Why are you panting? What's the matter?" asked Mami.   
"You guys have to come with me! Something's happened to Miki-san!" Akari exclaimed.   
Kyubey stared directly at Akari. 

They were soon at the labyrinth. Kyoko had transformed and was dodging the wheels while carrying Sayaka.   
"What's going on?" Kazue asked. "What happened to Miki-san?"  
"I don't know" said Kyoko. "But her Soul Gem was really impure and then, that Witch appeared out of nowhere."  
"It must have done something to Miki-san!" Hinako said. "Everyone, transform!"  
The girls transformed.   
The Witch threw wheels at the girls. They dodged them. Kyoko deflected them with her spear.   
"Sayaka-chan!" Madoka's voice called.   
Kyoko looked back.   
"Madoka! What are you doing here?" she asked. "Its dangerous. Get out of here."  
Madoka ran towards Kyoko.   
"What happened to Sayaka-chan?" she asked.   
"I don't know" said Kyoko.   
Madoka took Sayaka from Kyoko's arms.   
"Sayaka-chan! Sayaka-chan, can you hear me!"  
"Kaname-san, look out!" Akari exclaimed.   
She jumped in front of Madoka and put up a shield as a wheel almost hit her.   
"Akari-san!"  
"Kaname-san, take Miki-san and get out of here" said Akari.   
Madoka took Sayaka and ran, but a wheel hit her in the back, causing her to drop Sayaka.   
"Kaname-san!" Akari exclaimed.   
A wheel then hit Kyoko. It broke her Soul Gem, and she fell to the ground.  
"SAKURA-SAN!" Akari exclaimed and ran towards her.   
Another wheel came her way. Suddenly, time stopped. Homura appeared and pushed the wheel back at the Witch. Time then started again.   
"Huh? Akemi-san?" Hinako said.   
The Witch threw many wheels at Homura. She dodged all of them. She then stopped time again and shot several bombs at the Witch. When time started again,, the bombs exploded, defeating the Witch. 

The girls were back where they were before. Madoka put Sayaka down.   
"What the hell was that?" Kazue asked. "What did that Witch do to Miki-san?"  
"That Witch WAS Miki Sayaka" said Homura.   
"WHAT? That can't be" said Kazue.  
"Sakura-san! Sakura-san! Please wake up!" Mami looked over Kyoko's lifeless body.   
"What happened to her?" Hinako asked.   
"Kyubey, what's happened to Sakura-san?" asked Kazue.   
"Sakura Kyoko's Soul Gem was broken. That means she has died" said Kyubey.   
"WHAT?!" Mami exclaimed. "That can't be true. Kyubey, please."  
"Oh, I forgot Sonozaki Akari didn't tell you" said Kyubey. "Your Soul Gems are actually your Souls. I couldn't let you girls fight Witches in your bodies. You would get injured or die, and it would be inconvenient. So as part of the contract, I take your Souls and turn them into Soul Gems."  
"What have you done to us, you bastard!" Kazue grabbed Kyubey by his ear. "YOU TURNED US INTO ZOMBIES! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THIS BEFORE?"  
"Because you never asked" said Kyubey. "And it wouldn't bother you if you didn't know it."  
"Then.... Akemi-san, is it true that Miki-san was the Witch we just fought?" said Hinako.   
"Yes" said Homura. "All Witches are magical girls who's Soul Gems have darkened completely. Once that happens, they become a Witch."  
"That's true. And its the fate of every magical girl eventually" said Kyubey.   
"You..... YOU....!"  
Kazue tightened her grip on Kyubey.   
"Akari, did you know all this?" Hikari asked.   
"I only knew the truth about Soul Gems, but not the truth about Witches" said Akari. "I'm sorry. I thought it was better you didn't know."  
"What do you mean?!" Kazue exclaimed. "If you would keep such an important thing from us.... THEN YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS KYUBEY!"  
Akari was taken aback.   
"Kazue, calm down now" said Hinako.   
"Calm down?! I can't calm down! I just found out that we're all soulless zombies destined to turn into monsters that kill humans!" Kazue exclaimed. "I'm leaving! This alliance is OVER!"  
Kazue walked out of the place.   
"Kazue, wait!" Hinako followed her. 

"Kazue-san.... Hinako-san..." Akari said.  
"We're..... all zombies.... destined to turn into Witches no matter what. That's.... that's....." Mami had her head in her hands.   
"This is so horrible. Please..... stop all this" Madoka cried.


	10. I will never leave you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: Attempted suicide

"We have gathered here today for the funeral of Miki Sayaka and Sakura Kyoko. Two young girls who were gone too soon. It was a tragedy their they lost their lives when they were so young, full of dreams for the future."  
Everyone was gathered for the funeral of Sayaka and Kyoko. Madoka sat in the front row. She was unable to stop herself from crying. Akari, Hikari and Mami sat behind her. Mami's eyes were red from crying before.  
"Miki-san, Sakura-san, I'm so sorry" Akari thought.  
She looked back and spotted Kazue and Hinako a few rows back. Kazue made eye contact with her, then immediately looked away. She left, followed by Hinako.  
"Kazue-san...."

Akari, Hikari and Mami stood at the graves of Sayaka and Kyoko.  
"Sakura-san.... I wish things could've been different" Mami whispered.  
Akari noticed Madoka standing a few metres away. She had stopped crying and was now numb. Still further away, Akari spotted a silhouette with long, flowing hair.  
"Akemi-san!"  
Akari ran towards her. Homura looked back.  
"Did you know the truth about Witches before?" Akari asked. Homura just nodded.  
"Then, why didn't you tell us?"  
"Who would've believed me?" Homura asked.  
Akari just stayed silent.  
"Akari..." a voice said behind her. Akari looked back to see Hikari and Mami.  
"Lets go home" Mami said weakly.  
Akari left to go with them. 

At home, Mami locked herself in her room.  
"Mami-san is really taking this hard" said Akari.  
"I don't blame her. Sakura-san was her friend after all" said Hikari.  
She then went to the kitchen. Akari looked outside the window.  
"Kazue-san, Hinako-san..... where are you two now?" she wondered.

Meanwhile, Kazue and Hinako were walking away from the Church.  
"Its really sad what happened to Sakura-san and Miki-san" said Hinako.  
"Yeah...." Kazue said.  
"Hey, don't you think we should go back home?" asked Hinako.  
"To Mami-san's place? No, I don't want to go there."  
"Why?"  
"Akari-san lied to us. She knew the truth and yet she kept it from us. I don't want to see her after that. And most of all, I don't want to see Kyubey!"  
"I know, Akari-san shouldn't have kept the truth from us, but she had our best interests at heart."  
"But she lied to us!" Kazue said.  
"I know, I understand you're angry" said Hinako. "But we must think of this logically."  
"How do you expect me to think logically when we found out we're basically soulless zombies destined to become Witches?!" Kazue snapped. Hinako took a few steps back.  
"If you want to go back to Mami-san's place, you can go! But I won't have any of this magical girl crap anymore!"  
Saying this, Kazue stormed off.  
"Kazue....."

Kazue walked until she was a significant distance from Hinako. Then, she put her head in her hands and cried.  
"My God! What did I say to Hinako?!" she cried.  
She remembered her first meeting with Hinako.

* * *

_My life had never been the easiest. My father left when I was a baby. It was just me and my mother. For some strange reason, my mother resented me. I guess she thought she had much better things to do than taking care of a baby. She constantly belittled me, calling me useless and screaming at me for every small mistake. It lead to me having really low self esteem. I had no friends throughout kindergarten and elementary school. I just kept to myself._

_When I went to middle school, I decided to put on a personality that everyone would like - that of a cheerful, happy, funny girl. Surprisingly, it worked and I got made a few friends. But there were people who found me annoying._

_A breaking point in life came to me one day when I overheard my friends talking about me. They talked about how annoying I was and how fake my personality felt. Well, they were right. I was faking it. But it still hurt to come from their mouths. I wasn't looking to hard and I tripped over something. My friends noticed.  
"Kazue-chan" they acted shocked. They certainly didn't expect me to be listening. But it was too late. At that point, I was in tears.  
"If you didn't like me, you should've said it to my face!" I exclaimed, and ran away._

_I went back to having no friends. One day, I was walking aimlessly after school. I was wondering why I was even alive at this point. My mother doesn't love me and I have no friends. Lost in my thoughts, I went to the auditorium. There, I found someone dancing. She was honestly the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She had wavy purple hair, her dark eyes held many mysteries in them, and she was lost in concentration. It seemed she was giving her all into dancing. She moved gracefully across the stage, while I stood there in awe. I had never seen anyone like her. When she was done, she got off the stage. She didn't seem to notice me. I went home with my thoughts full of that girl._

_From then on, after school I would always stop by the auditorium to see that girl dancing. I admired how she put her full heart and soul into what she was doing. It seemed to be her life. To be honest, it made me want to dance too. But one day, she actually noticed me.  
"Hello there" she said.  
I could feel my heart coming out of my chest.  
"H-H-Hi" I managed to say.  
"What do you think of my dancing?" the girl asked.  
"I..... I loved it. I love how you put everything into dancing. To be honest, it made me want to dance too."  
"In that case, would you like to join the dance club?"  
"Oh, but I've never danced before."  
"Its alright. You can learn."  
"A-Alright."  
"Then, lets meet tomorrow, um...."  
"K-Kobayashi Kazue."  
"Kobayashi-san. I'm Funai Hinako. Lets meet tomorrow."_

_Funai Hinako._

_I had certainly heard her name before, but I vaguely remembered where. I went home actually in a good mood that night._

_The next day, after school, I went to meet Hinako in the auditorium.  
"Kobayashi-san, you're here!" said Hinako.  
"I'm kinda nervous about this" I said. "I've never danced before."  
"Never mind, I'll teach you" said Hinako. "There's a first time for everything."  
So Hinako taught me to do basic dance steps. It was actually fun. For the first time in my life, I actually had fun doing something. And Hinako was a good teacher too. She never belittled me for making mistakes. She calmly told me where I could improve. It was a great experience.  
"This is really fun", I said. "I..... think I'll join the dance club!"  
"Really?!" Hinako seemed ecstatic. "I'm so glad! So that officially makes two of us!"  
_

_I went home that day feeling elated. I was in the same club as the pretty girl! And I discovered I liked dancing too! Not even my mother could take this away from me!_

_The next day, me and Hinako recruited members for the dance club. Apparently, Hinako had trouble recruiting members because everyone found her intimidating. Well, she kinds is. But she's also a great dancer. How could anyone not want to join?_

_By the end of the day, we had two new members. We were both ecstatic. We had a great time dancing. We recruited our fifth and final member the next day. With that, the Dance Club had officially been formed._

_Over time, us Dance Club members became really close. We learnt different forms of dance. I would also spend every free moment I had practicing my dance moved. It became my newfound passion. Of course, I didn't let my mother know._

_The Dance Club members were my first real friends. But out of all of them, I had grown especially close to Hinako. I also found myself developing a crush on her. She was beautiful, charming, and a great dancer. She was very passionate about what she did. I thought everyday about how I would confess to her. But I was worried if she would even return my feelings. Would she find me weird? Would it ruin our friendship?_

_One particular day, I mustered up courage. I decided I'd confess to her after our Dance Club meeting that day. But then Hinako shocked us by telling us she might go to a private school! I was devastated by that! And so was everyone else.  
"Sorry, everyone" Hinako said. "I don't want to leave either. Kazue-san, you're in charge of the dance club once I leave."  
I couldn't accept this! No, I couldn't! I just ran out of the room.  
"Kazue-san!" Hinako called after me. I didn't go back. I couldn't believe this! All that courage I built up had gone._

_I sat alone on a bench in the park. I didn't know what I'd do without Hinako. She gave me something to live for, and if she went..... no, I didn't want to think about it. I just buried my head in my hands and cried. When I opened my eyes, I saw a strange creature near me. It was white, had red eyes and a really fluffy tail.  
"Oh... my... gosh. You're so.... CUTE!" I said. I reached out to pet the creature. But then, it surprised me by talking!  
"Do you want a solution to whatever problem you're having?" it asked.  
I immediately took my hand back! Did this cat just talk?!  
"OH MY GOD! THIS CAT JUST TALKED!" I exclaimed.  
"I'm not a cat" the creature calmly said. "My name is Kyubey. I can make any wish of yours come true."  
"What?" I asked.  
"You heard that right. I can grant you any wish you desire. In exchange for one thing."  
I was interested.  
"What's that?" I asked.  
"Just make a contract with me and become a magical girl. All you have to do is make a wish. Any wish, and I will grant it."  
"Can you truly grant any wish?" I asked  
"Anything your heart desires" Kyubey replied.  
"And all I have to do is become a magical girl?"  
"Yes."  
I knew immediately what I wanted. I took a deep breath._

_"I wish me and Hinako-san could be together forever!"_

_Kyubey reached out to my chest with his long hears. When he touched me, a light formed between me and his ear. I felt a pain in my chest. The light took the form of a green gemstone encased in gold._

_"You must now fight for your wish, Kobayashi Kazue."_

_And so I did._

_The good news was, Hinako didn't go to the private school after all. I was so ecstatic to hear that! My wish had been granted after all! So the dance club went on as normal. But something had changed for me - the fact that I now had to fight Witches. I balanced my time with schoolwork, the dance club, and fighting Witches._

_One day, I was battling a particularly hard Witch. I wasn't progressing further even with the familiars! Suddenly, a purple ribbon appeared and bound the familiars. I saw a purple aura from the ribbon. Far away, I saw another magical girl, wearing what looked like a tutu. She began to dance, and the familiars followed. They danced until they were tired. The other girl took the chance and beat the familiars. She then defeated the Witch. A Grief Seed fell down once she was done. She took it.  
"Um...." I began.  
"Are you alright?" the other girl turned around. When she saw my face, she became shocked. I too was shocked to see her. It was Hinako!  
"Kazue-san.... you are..."  
"You're a magical girl?!" I asked.  
"Yes. But..... I didn't know you were too."  
"This is awesome!" I exclaimed. "Since we're both magical girls, we can fight Witches together! This is so amazing!"  
"Yes, that's not such a bad idea" said Hinako._

_So the two of us teamed up and fought Witches together. I grew closer to Hinako this way. In fact, I started to fall in love with her even more. I again began to think of ways in which I could confess to her. One day, I again mustered up the courage. I thought I'd confess to Hinako after the dance club meeting. But then Hinako surprised me by inviting me to go to the park with her. I of course agreed._

_So after the dance club meeting, Hinako and I went to the park.  
"When I was a little girl, I used to come here all the time to practice dancing" she said. "I would dance until I got the moves perfectly. Or so I had thought."  
"You really love dancing, don't you?" I asked.  
"Of course I do! Its my passion!" Hinako said.  
This was my chance! I took in a deep breath.  
"Hinako..... there's..... something I need to tell you...."  
"What is it?"  
"I.....I....... I like you! As..... as more than just a friend..... if you know what I mean!"  
My face was red hot. Hinako started laughing.  
"Hinako...."  
"No, this is the reason I brought you here! To confess to you! But you beat me to it!"  
Hinako kept laughing. It was the most beautiful laugh I'd ever heard.  
"I.... like you too, Kazue."  
I smiled my biggest smile in my life._

_From then on, me and Hinako became girlfriends. We danced with more passion than we ever had. We fought Witches harder than before. I finally had a reason to live - it was Funai Hinako. I loved her dearly, and I would not trade her for anything else in the world._

* * *

The memories made Kazue shed tears again. It had all been so perfect - her and Hinako. And now, she had ruined it. Kazue hated herself more than she ever had. And so she made a decision.

She got up and began to walk towards the Mitakihara Radio Tower.

Hinako wandered around, wondering what she should do. Her wandering eventually led her to Mami's building.  
"Mami-san's house" Hinako thought. She looked up. Mami, Akari and Hikari were probably there.  
"I want to go back to Mami-san's place, but...." she thought about Kazue. She had been so upset at Akari.  
"How did it end up like this?"  
Hinako thought back to her meeting with Kazue.

* * *

_Being the daughter of the richest man in town wasn't all it seemed to be. From a young age, I felt the weight of my parents' expectations. My father ran the biggest medicine company in the city, and he expected me to take over his business next. But I had no interest in that. Ever since I was little, my heart was fully into dancing. I would practice my dance moves in my bedroom. Unfortunately, my parents didn't support my interests. I remember a time when I was four years old, I showed my parents a dance I was proud of. Instead of applauding me, they told me to not waste time on useless things like dancing and instead, prepare for the future._

_"Your future is much bigger than just dancing" my mother told me. "You have to prepare for big things."_

_From then on, I never danced in front of my parents. Try as I might, I could never get myself interested in my father's business. In my heart, I knew that dancing was my true calling._

_My parents were extremely strict and valued their reputation. They always expected me to be the best in everything. I was supposed to get the highest marks in every subject. Anything less than 99% was seen as worthless. I had to work twice as hard as the other kids. I rarely had any freetime for myself. This is why I had no friends._

_When I went to middle school, I decided to start the dance club. I spent all day working on posters for the dance club. I had great plans for it. Of course, I didn't tell my parents. They would've never approved._

_But things didn't go as planned the next day. No one would come near me. They were all intimidated by me. I couldn't blame them. From afar, I would've seemed cold. But that was not who I truly was. I would hear people whispering about how smart I am, how rich my family was, how they wished they were me. If only they knew what I was truly like._

_Every day in the school's auditorium, I would practice my dance. Those were a few precious moments I had to myself. Moments where I could fully lose myself to dance. Moments where I could let my body get lost in dancing. Those moments were everything to me._

_One day, I noticed a girl watching me. I thought she was pretty cure. She had green hair tied in pigtails. Even from afar, I could tell her eyes were full of wonder.  
"Hello there" I said. I hoped the girl wouldn't run away.  
"H-H-Hi" the girl said. I smiled. At least she didn't run away  
"What do you think of my dancing?" I asked.  
"I..... I loved it. I love how you put everything into dancing. To be honest, it made me want to dance too."  
My eyes lit up  
"In that case, would you like to join the dance club?"  
"Oh, but I've never danced before."  
"Its alright. You can learn."  
"A-Alright."  
"Then, lets meet tomorrow, um...."  
"K-Kobayashi Kazue."  
"Kobayashi-san. I'm Funai Hinako. Lets meet tomorrow."  
I smiled and then went home, full of elation. It seemed I have found my first dance club member. _

_I met Kazue in the auditorium the next day. I taught her some basic dance steps I knew. Soon, she began to get the hang of it. We had a great time dancing. Kazue was a great student. She seemed to learn pretty quickly, and I could tell she enjoyed dancing too.  
"This is really fun", Kazue said. "I..... think I'll join the dance club!"  
"Really?!" I was elated. "I'm so glad! So that officially makes two of us!"_

_So we started off the dance club with just me and Kazue. The next day, she helped me recruit more members for the dance club. Since Kazue was there, people didn't seem intimidated. We had two new members that day. Apparently, Kazue didn't really know why people were intimidated by me. I was glad. By the next day, we had one more member join the dance club. So that made five of us. The dance club had officially been completed!_

_In a matter of time, the dance club members became close. All of the girls were great dancers. Some were beginners but were amazing when they put their heart into it. But most of all, I was growing closer to Kazue. She was funny, cheerful, and cute. For once, here was someone who didn't just see me as the daughter of a rich man, but as myself. I loved her for that. In fact, I had developed a crush on Kazue at the time. But I would never tell her, or anyone else for that matter._

_But it seemed that all good things had to come to an end. Unfortunately, my parents found out about the dance club. They were furious as they hadn't given me approval to start a dance club. They told me that dancing was a distraction from my true goals. I was frustrated and yelled at them that they did not know what my true goals are. I had no interest in taking over my father's business!_

_I regretted what I said as soon as I said it. My father said that he was taking me out of school and putting me in a private school instead. I was mortified by that. I would have to say goodbye to the dance club! Most of all, I would have to say goodbye to Kazue!_

_So the next day, I told the dance club members that I may be moving to a private school. I said that being in the dance club had been fun, but I might not be there any longer. It took everything I had not to cry then and there.  
"Sorry, everyone" I said. "I don't want to leave either. Kazue-san, you're in charge of the dance club once I leave."  
Kazue just stood there for a while. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. Suddenly, she ran off.  
"Kazue-san!" I called after her. But she didn't respond. _

_I went home that day feeling the most upset I had ever been. I went home and lay down on my bed. When I opened my eyes, I saw a strange, cat like creature on the bed with me.  
"Huh? Where did you come from?" I asked. I reached out to pet the creature.  
"You seem to be down" the creature said.  
I took my hand back! I couldn't believe this creature had just talked!  
"Am I seeing things, or did this cat just talk?" I said.  
"I am Kyubey. I can make your wishes come true."  
"Huh?"  
I inched closer.  
"You heard that. I can grant any wish your heart desires, in exchange for one thing."  
"What's that?"  
"You have to make a contract with me and become a magical girl."  
"A.... magical girl?"  
"Yes. In order to do that, you make a wish. Any wish. I will grant it, no matter how impossible it may seem."  
I was interested.  
"Any wish, huh?"  
"Yes, any wish."  
I knew what I wanted. _

_“I wish I could continue dancing.”_

_"Is that the wish your heart desires?" Kyubey asked.  
"Yes. Now please grant my wish."  
Kyubey's long ears reached for my chest. A light formed between his ear and my chest. I felt pain, and I almost screamed. The light soon took the form of a purple gemstone. I held it in my hand. _

_"Your wish has been granted" Kyubey said. "Now you must fight for it, Funai Hinako."_

_The next day at breakfast, my parents told me they had a talk and decided not to send me to private school after all.  
"Really?!" I was excited.  
"Yes. But you must continue studying hard. If the dance club is any distraction, we will pull you out of that school." my mother warned.  
"Thank you, mother, father!" I had never been so relieved. _

_I went to school and told everyone the good news. They were overjoyed. I even apologised to Kazue and she apologised for running off._

_From then on, I worked twice as hard. I balanced schoolwork, the dance club, and fighting Witches as a magical girl. One day, I had found a Witch as usual. But there seemed to be another magical girl fighting it. She was having a hard time. So I distracted the familiars by using my dancing ribbon. I danced and the familiars followed. They danced until they were tired. I took that chance to defeat them. Then, I defeated the Witch._

_The labyrinth disappeared and I took the Grief Seed.  
"Um..." the other girl said.  
"Are you alright?" I asked the other magical girl. But when I saw her face, I was shocked. It was Kazue!  
"Kazue-san.... you are..."  
"You're a magical girl?!" Kazue completed my sentence.  
"Yes."  
"This is awesome!" Kazue exclaimed. "Since we're both magical girls, we can fight Witches together! This is so amazing!"  
"Yes, that's not such a bad idea" I said. _

_From then on, we fought Witches together. We actually made a great team. I even grew closer to Kazue this way. Meanwhile, my crush on her was only growing. I couldn't keep it to myself any longer. I had to let her know. Even if she would laugh at me, I needed to get it off my chest. So I invited her to a park one day, after the dance club meeting._

_We went to the park in the evening once we were done with the dance club._

_"When I was a little girl, I used to come here all the time to practice dancing" I said. "I would dance until I got the moves perfectly. Or so I had thought."  
"You really love dancing, don't you?" Kazue asked.  
"Of course I do! Its my passion!" I said.  
This was my chance. I just had to muster up the courage  
"Hinako..... there's..... something I need to tell you...." Kazue said.  
My heart dropped.  
"What is it?" I asked.  
"I.....I....... I like you! As..... as more than just a friend..... if you know what I mean!"  
Realization suddenly hit me. She had beat me to the confession! Then, I began to laugh.  
"Hinako...."  
"No, this is the reason I brought you here!" I said. To confess to you! But you beat me to it!  
I finally got myself to stop.  
"I.... like you too, Kazue."  
And Kazue smiled the most beautiful smile I had ever seen._

_From then on, we became girlfriends. I put more passion than ever into my dance. I now danced, not just for myself but also for Kazue. She too danced with the most passion I had ever seen. I finally had a light in my life and it was Kobayashi Kazue._

_And I was convinced nothing would ever change between us._

_Ever.  
_

* * *

Everything had been so perfect back then. They danced and fought Witches. What had happened between them?  
"Kazue...."  
Hinako got a flash. She finally knew what she had to do.  
"I have to find Kazue!"  
She ran down the road in search of Kazue. 

"I finally know. Without Kazue, my life would've been so different. What we had was perfect. I won't let anything happen between us."  
She looked for Kazue everywhere. Soon, she came below the Mitakihara Radio Tower. She saw a figure standing on top.  
"Could that be?!"  
Hinako immediately ran to the top. 

Kazue stood on top of the radio tower, looking at the view below her. Everything looked so small and insignificant. There were just flickers of light everywhere. She thought back to everything that happened. Between her and the rest of the magical girls. And especially - Hinako. She tried to hold back her tears.  
"Sorry, Hinako. And.... everyone."  
She summoned her Soul Gem and held it to the top. Then, she let go of it. But before it could fall far, Hinako swooped in and caught the Soul Gem.  
"Hinako.... what are you doing here?" asked Kazue. "I thought you went to Mami-san's place."  
"I was going to" said Hinako. "But I realized..... I needed you."  
Kazue turned away from her.  
"How could you still want me when I hurt you?" Kazue asked. "I hurt Akari-san. I abandoned the team. I don't deserve your love. Please, go back to Mami-san's place."  
"No, I will never leave you!" Hinako exclaimed.  
"Don't you get it?! I've been lying to you! My personality is a lie! I just faked everything because otherwise, I wouldn't have friends! I'm not the cheerful, happy girl yu've always known! I'm a faker, a fraud! So why do you still insist on being with me?!"  
"Because I love you!" Hinako exclaimed.  
Kazue just stared at her for a minute.  
"I don't care about any of that. I need you in my life, Kazue. Without you, my life would've been so much duller. I love you. Please, come back."  
Hinako held her hand out. Kazue stood there. Then she leaned forward and kissed Hinako on the lips. Hinako soon pulled in. They kissed passionately under the moonlight. Kazue then pulled away.  
"I love you too, Hinako" she said. "And.... I'm sorry."  
"I'm sorry too, for not understanding your feelings" said Hinako.  
"Should we go back to Mami-san's place?" asked Kazue.  
"Yes."

At Mami's place, Hikari laid out dinner.  
"Should we give some to Mami-san too?" asked Akari.  
Hikari nodded. They went outside Mami's room. Hikari knocked the door.  
"Mami-san! Dinner is ready."  
There was no answer. Akari knocked the door again.  
"Mami-san, please. This isn't healthy for you."  
"Go away, please" Mami said from inside. "Don't look at me. I'm a zombie!"  
"Mami-san...."  
"We're coming inside" said Hikari. She opened the door. 

Mami was lying face down on the bed, her head buried in a pillow. She looked at Akari and Hikari.  
"Akari-san, Hikari-san..... please go away. I'm...."  
"Mami-san, you have to eat something. You haven't eaten since morning!" said Hikari.  
"What's the point. We're not human anymore" said Mami. "And no matter what, we'll eventually turn into Witches so why bother?"  
"Yes, its terrible that we had our souls ripped from our bodies" said Akari. "And yes, its horrible that we'll all eventually become Witches. But, we're still together. We've had good times together. That time you showed us around Mitakihara, we had fun. It wasn't terrible all the time. We had each other."  
"That's true" said Hikari. "No matter how hard it gets, we're here for you. So please, Mami-san...."  
"You guys..."  
Mami got up from the bed.  
"I guess it can't be all bad, when we're all togther" she said wiping her tears. "Thank you."  
"Please come on now. Dinner is ready" said Akari. 

"Room for two more?" a familiar voice said.  
Kazue and Hinako stood outside the door. Mami smiled.  
"Kobayashi-san! Funai-san! You're back!" she exclaimed.  
The girls all hugged.  
"Kazue-san, I'm...." Akari began.  
"No, its alright" said Kazue. "I'm sorry, for acting the way I did."  
"Everyone, lets have dinner now" said Mami. "Walpurgisnacht is coming soon. We have a lot to prepare for."  
"Yes!" said Hinako. "As long as we're together. we can defeat Walpurgisnacht.... as a team!"


	11. You won't bring us down no matter what

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: Death, suicide

The skies were grey in Mitakihara city. Dark clouds covered the sky. An announcement was made that a storm was coming - everyone was to evacuate to shelters.

The shelters were bustling with people. There was chatter all throughout. Among them, was the Kaname family.  
"Mama, are we camping here?" asked Tatsuya Kaname.  
"There's a big storm outside" said Junko Kaname. "We're staying here till it calms down."  
Madoka looked out of the window. Her thoughts were full of Homura, Mami, and the other magical girls who were going to fight Walpurgisnacht today. She wished she could help them. 

Mami, Akari, Hikari, Kazue, and Hinako stood outside, in anticipation.  
"So this is it" said Akari. "This is the day Walpurgisnacht arrives."  
"We can do this, girls" Mami said. "If we work as a team, we can beat her."  
"Yes.... we'll do it.... for Miki-san and Sakura-san..." said Hinako.  
"And for everyone here" said Hikari. 

Akari looked at her side and saw Homura, standing farther away from them. Homura glared at her, as if to say "I can do this alone."  
"Akemi-san...."

Soon a lot of familiars walked into the city. They went past the girls. Music began to play. In the sky was a large figure that wore a blue gown, and had a malicious smile on her face. It was her.

Walpurgisnacht had arrived.

Homura summoned all of her bazookas and began to shoot them at Walpurgisnacht. 

"Alright everyone, this is it!" said Mami. "Funai-san, Kobayashi-san, take care of the familiars. Hikari-san, we'll fight Walpurgisnacht together. Akari-san, I need you to cover us."  
"Yes!" everyone agreed.  
Hinako and Kazue ran to defeat the familiars. Mami summoned her ribbons and made guns out of them. She shot at Walpurgisnacht. Hikari summoned her key and cut through all the familiars. Akari summoned her shield. Hinako was dancing with the familiars. Kazue managed to trap them in her chains. Thanks to her love magic, the familiars were able to fall in love with each other, which left them distracted.

Homura and Mami were just shooting at Walpurgisnacht.  
"Why doesn't Akemi-san just join us?" Akari thought. "It would be much easier."  
The bullets from Homura's bazookas shoot Walpurgisnacht into a pit which was filled with bombs. They soon detonated and one by one, all of them exploded creating a cloud of smoke. 

The girls all looked from afar.  
"Akemi-san..... she actually did it" Hikari thought.  
Homura was far from the other girls. She flipped her hair.  
Akari went forward.  
"Akemi-san..." she thought  
"AKARI, LOOK OUT!" Hikari exclaimed.  
A black beam rushed towards them. Hikari quickly pushed Akari out of the way. Akari watched in horror as the beam struck Hikari. Her Soul Gem broke and her body hit the ground.  
"NOOOOOO!" Akari screamed. She ran towards her sister and took her in her arms. "Hikari! Hikari! Please, hold on!"  
"Its no use" Homura said. "Her Soul Gem is broken. She won't answer you."  
"No.... it can't be" Akari said. "Hikari..... why....."  
She buried her head in Hikari's chest and cried. The other girls tried to comfort her.  
"Akari-san.... I'm so sorry" said Mami.  
"Hikari-san..... fought well" said Hinako, trying to battle her own tears.  
"We must..... defeat Walpurgisnacht now.... for Hikari-san" said Kazue, on the verge of tears.  
Akari wiped her own tears. She looked at the figure of Walpurgisnacht with a mix of anger and determination in her eyes.  
"Alright.... lets take her on!" she exclaimed.

The girls jumped forward again. Hinako and Kazue took on the familiars. Akari covered for them and even fought on her own.  
"Hikari has always protected me" she thought. "Until the very end.... she ultimately died protecting me. Hikari.... my beloved sister.... this is for you!"  
She made her shield bigger and crushed familiars with it.  
Mami and Homura rushed forward.  
"Wouldn't it be much easier if you worked with us?" Mami asked.  
"I have no reason to want to work with you" Homura said. "You saw what happened to Sonozaki Hikari. No matter what I'll work on my own."  
Homura summoned a truck which she used her powers to ride. Mami summoned her ribbons and turned them into guns. She ran alongside the truck.  
"Why do you act so cold?" Mami asked.  
"I have to. Being too kind as a magical girl can lead to your downfall" Homura replied. "Now please leave me alone."  
Homura rushed forward. Mami jumped up and summoned many guns. She shot at Walpurgisnacht. A building was thrown her way. She dodged it and ran up. She then summoned a huhe gun.  
"Tiro Finale!"

At first, it seemed that Walpurgisnacht had been defeated. But suddenly, debris hit Mami's back and she was thrown forward. She got up, rubbing her back. She then saw Akari, Kazue, and Hinako fighting.  
"Those girls are giving their all" she thought. "I have a responsibility towards them. I'm their mentor.... I'll protect them!"

"Akemi-san, I'll leave Walpurgisnacht to you" said Mami. She then went towards the girls. Homura just nodded.  
Hinako, Kazue, and Akari were busy fighting off familiars.  
"There's too many of these things!" said Kazue.  
"They're unlike any familiar we've fought before" said Hinako.  
A familiar appeared behind Kazue.  
"Look out!" a voice said.  
Mami's ribbons took out the familiar.  
"Mami-san!" Akari said.  
"We'll take out the familiars together" said Mami.  
"They're too strong" said Akari.  
"Walpurgisnacht is unlike any Witch we've fought" said Mami. "And her familiars are strong too."  
"Where's Akemi-san?" asked Akari.  
"She's fighting Walpurgisnacht" said Mami. "We'll take out the familiars so she can fight. Lets do it, for Sakura-san, for Miki-san, and most of all for Hikari-san!"  
"Right!"

The girls continued fighting the best they could. Akari covered them, but she too eventually joined the fight. Mami used shot at them with her many guns. But there were simply too many of them.  
"They just keep on coming" said Kazue.  
"We cn hold them off if we fight together" said Mami. "Just stick with me!"  
She continued shooting.  
"All I've wanted was friends" she thought. "Now.... these girls are with me, and I'll do anything for them."  
She dodged multiple attacks and continued shooting.  
"Mami-san, look out!" Hinako exclaimed.  
Mami looked back and caught the familiar behind her with her ribbons. She then shot it multiple times.  
"That's right..... I'll fight for everyone here" she thought. 

Meanwhile, Homura was taking on Walpurgisnacht. She looked down to see the girls fighting.  
"Looks like they're occupied" she thought, and continued to fight. 

The other girls meanwhile, were still fighting the familiars.  
"I won't let them hurt my friends" Mami thought. "Because, they assured me that I'm not alone. That's why I....."  
She kept pushing through. One of the familiars caught her in black strings.  
"Mami-san!" Akari yelled.  
Mami struggled and broke free. She pushed through. Then she summoned her gun. 

"TIRO.... FINALE!"

All of the familiars in that area were soon dead. 

"Mami-san!"  
Kazue, Hinako and Akari rushed to her.  
"I'm fine" Mami said.  
Suddenly, she fell down.  
"Mami-san, what's wrong?" Akari asked.  
"No... her Soul Gem!" Kazue said.  
"Oh no! Do any of you have Grief Seeds?" asked Hinako.  
Akari and Kazue just shook their heads.  
"No, no, no no no.... Mami-san, please hang in there!" Hinako exclaimed.  
"I guess its too late for me now" said Mami.  
"No, Mami-san, please don't talk like that!" Akari exclaimed.  
"No, its fine...."  
"Mami-san!"  
Tears started to fall from Akari's eyes again. Mami used the last bits of her magic to make a small gun. She then aimed it at her Soul Gem.  
"Mami-san?"  
"I don't want to become a Witch and destroy everything..... I don't want to be like that. So, Akari-san.... Hinako-san.... Kazue-san.... please continue fighting the best you can..."  
Saying this, she pulled the trigger. Her Soul Gem broke and soon, she was lifeless. 

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The girls cried over Mami. 

Homura watched from above. She shed a few tears over Mami. 

Hinako got up, wiping her tears.  
"We have to do what Mami-san told us" she said. "We will defeat Walpurgisnacht!"  
Akari and Kazue got up too.  
"Everyone, lets do this for our fallen friends."  
"YES!"

They then jumped forward.

Shadows that took the form of magical girls blocked the way. Akari used her shield to drive them away. Kazue managed to restrain them with her chains. They jumped on buildings and debris to reach Walpurgisnacht.  
"Walpurgisnacht, watch me!" Kazue exclaimed. She summoned multiple chains and restrained Walpurgisnacht. Her smile was unwavering. Akari summoned a large shield and threw it at the Witch. She was thrown into a building.  
"We're doing great!" Hinako exclaimed. She then jumped forward.  
"Lets dance, Walpurgisnacht!"  
She tied Walpurgisnacht with her ribbon. A purple aura formed from it. Hinako the let go and began to dance. But suddenly, something hit her from behind and she was sent flying.  
"HINAKO!"  
Kazue and Akari rushed towards her.  
"No way.... why don't my powers work on her?" Hinako said.  
Kazue glared at Walpurgisnacht.  
"You will pay for hurting Hinako!" she said.  
She then jumped forward and used her chains again.  
"Those strong feelings I have towards Hinako..... I'll show you how they feel!" she exclaimed.  
A green aura formed around her chains. But suddenly, they broke. Kazue fell into Hinako's arms.  
"My powers.... they don't work" she said. 

"You all are so naive" Homura said. "Ordinary powers won't work on Walpurgisnacht. She isn't like any other Witch."  
"Akemi-san..." Kazue said.  
"Why don't you work with us?" Hinako asked. "Surely we'll be stronger as a team."  
"I don't need to work with anyone" said Homura. "And by the way, your Soul Gems are getting darkened. You'd better do something about that."  
Saying this, she jumped forward. 

Indeed, their Soul Gems had been significantly darkened.  
"Crap! Anyone got Grief Seeds?" asked Kazue.  
Akari and Hinako shook their heads.  
"Whatever it is, lets beat this wicked Witch!" Kazue exclaimed.  
"You surely never change" Hinako said smiling. 

They ran forward again. The familiars blocked the way.  
"Get out of my way!" Kazue exclaimed. She used her chains to push them away. Her Soul Gem got darker.  
"Kazue-san, please be careful. Your Soul Gem...." Akari said.  
Hinako too looked at her Soul Gem.  
"Damn, its about to get fully darkened" she said. "But, we have to do something about those familiars."  
"Even if we have to use the last bits of our magic, we have to try out best" Kazue said.  
Hinako suddenly had an idea.  
"Kazue, how about we have one last dance?" she asked. "And this time, we can include the familiars."  
Kazue smiled.  
"That's a great idea!" she said.  
"But guys, your Soul Gems..."  
"We don't have a choice" said Hinako. "We have to keep these familiars at bay the best we can."  
Hinako then touched Akari's shoulder.  
"We'll leave the rest to you. Please talk to Akemi-san and work with her if you can" she said.  
"It was fun working with you and Hikari-san" said Kazue. "And with Mami-san as well. Goodbye, Akari-san. Take care."  
Hinako and Kazue then jumped forward.  
"Hinako-san! Kazue-san! No!" Akari exclaimed.  


"Alright everyone, who wants to dance?!" Hinako exclaimed. She summoned her ribbon and made it so that she had multiple ribbons. She then caught all the familiars with her ribbons. A purple aura formed around them. Hinako and Kazue held hands. They winked at each other. Then, they began to dance. The familiars soon followed suit.  
"Kazue, do it now!" Hinako exclaimed.  
Kazue summoned her chains and bound the familiars with them. She then threw them in the air. They all fell down and vanished. Suddenly, the shadow magical girls interrupted them.  
"Oh my, it seems that we have more dancers" said Hinako. "Lets.... up our game a bit."  
The ribbons caught the shadow magical girls. Soon, they too began to dance until they were exhausted.  
"You won't bring us down no matter what" said Kazue. Using the last bit of her magic, she tied the shadow magical girls, then punched and kicked them. They disappeared.

"We.... did it...." said Kazue.  
"Yeah.... we actually....."  
Hinako and Kazue collapsed. Their Soul Gems were now almost fully dark.  
"Damn.... I guess this is it...." said Hinako.  
"Its was good while it lasted, I guess..." said Kazue.  
There was a pause.  
"Hey... Hinako..."  
"Yeah?"  
"I've.... always admired how hardworking you are. You always gave your everything, whether it came to dance, or studies, or being a magical girl. And..... I admire your passion for dance..."  
"And I've always admired your energy. You always gave your best in the dance club. Even when you got the steps wrong, you were always optimistic about it. I guess what I'm trying to say is...."  
"I love you..."  
"I love you to..."  
Hinako and Kazue held hands.  
"If we're going to become Witches...."  
"....we might as well be together."  
Their Soul Gems then completely darkened. The girls screamed, and then went limp.

Akari ran towards them and looked at their lifeless bodies.  
"No way..." she said.

She heard a sound and then looked up. Homura had been beaten my Walpurgisnacht. Her leg was stuck in debris. Akari went towards her.  
"Akemi-san!"  
"Leave me.... alone" said Homura, trying to get up. "I can do it. I have to do it."  
"We're the only ones left" said Akari. "We have to work together."  
"You're not the only ones now" a voice said.  
Akari and Homura looked behind.  
"Kaname-san?" Akari asked.  
"Madoka..." Homura said.  
Kyubey was right behind her.

Madoka went towards them.  
"That's enough now" she said. "You two have suffered enough. I... I want to help you now."  
Akari suddenly remembered her dream where Madoka became a Witch.  
"No, Kaname-san, please don't!" Akari exclaimed.  
"Akari-san?"  
"Kaname-san, please don't become a magical girl!" Akari exclaimed. "If you do, you'll become a really powerful Witch and destroy the planet! I saw it in my dreams!"  
Madoka just stared at her.  
"I appreciate you wanting to help us. But please don't become a magical girl!" said Akari.  
Homura also stared at her. Madoka turned to Kyubey.  
"So, what is your wish?" asked Kyubey.  
"Madoka, don't do it! He's just trying to trick you!" Homura exclaimed.  
Madoka took a deep breath.  
"PLEASE, MADOKA, DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" Homura said.  
"KANAME-SAN, PLEASE DON'T DO IT!" Akari said.  
"I wish I could be strong enough to help Akari-san and Homura-chan" said Madoka.  
A light formed around her.  
"NOOOOOO!" Homura screamed. 

Madoka was now a magical girl. She looked up at Walpurgisnacht. She then summoned her bow and arrow.  
"Kaname-san, don't do it!" Akari exclaimed.  
Madoka set her bow to her arrow, then shot at Walpurgisnacht. The arrow hit her, instantly destroying her. Akari just watched with wonder.  
"She really destroyed Walpurgisnacht with one hit.... just like in my dream" said Akari.  
Suddenly, a scream echoed. Madoka was on the floor. Her Soul Gem was darkened.  
"Kaname-san!"  
"Madoka!"  
Akari and Homura ran towards her.  
"No way.... look up there!"  
Akari pointed to large figure in the background.  
"Its just like in my dream" she said.  
"Madoka..." Homura said.  
"That is Kaname Madoka's Witch" said Kyubey. "Its only natural that the most powerful magical girl would also create the world's worst Witch. In this form, it would only take her five days to destroy the entire planet."  
"But I don't get it.... how can a magical girl be this powerful..... so powerful that her Witch is stronger than Walpurgisnacht?" asked Akari. "What exactly is so special about Kaname Madoka-san?"  
Homura came forward.  
Homura had her hand on her shield.  
"Are you going to turn back time again?" asked Akari.  
"What else can I do? Madoka is gone and now the planet will be destroyed. You can't try and fight against her. Its hopeless."  
"Don't tell me..... is this the reason you kept going back in time? To stop Kaname-san from becoming a magical girl and eventually destroying the world."  
Homura looked down.  
"That's.... one of the reasons. But also.... Kaname Madoka is my precious friend."  
"Akemi-san..."  
Akari's eyes filled with tears.  
"I'm sorry. I only didn't want Kaname-san to become a Witch. But also, she didn't deserve to suffer like this."  
Homura looked down.  
"You don't have to apologise" she said.  
She was about to turn her shield.  
"Akemi-san" said Akari.  
Homura turned to her.  
"Um.... I hope you can save Kaname-san next time."  
"Thank you, Akari-san" said Homura.  
"And one more thing. Please tell Mami-san that she's not alone and she's loved."  
Homura nodded. She then turned her shield.

* * *

"Akari. Akari. Its time to wake up."  
Akari rubbed her eyes. She saw her sister, Hikari, looking down at her.  
"Hikari.... you're alive?" she asked.  
"What are you talking about? Of course I'm alive" said Hikari.  
"Oh....."  
"Had another strange dream?" asked Hikari.  
"Yeah...."  
"You and your dreams.... come on now, lets get ready, or mother is gonna yell at us."  
Akari went out. But before she did, she looked back. She saw a pair of red eyes glowing outside her curtain. Akari rubbed her eyes and looked again. It was now gone. She then followed Hikari to the kitchen to arrange the dining table.


	12. Finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: No warnings for this chapter.

Akari looked up to see a magical girl with pink hair just like hers, tied in two pigtails by ribbons, and wearing a pink dress, above her. She cupped Akari's Soul Gem in her hand. All of the darkness of the Soul Gem vanished. Akari knew who the girl was. She had seen her in her dreams and even met her a couple of times.  
"Kaname....san...." she said.  
Hikari was right next to Akari. The sisters held hands and closed their eyes, as they disappeared.

Akari and Hikari found themselves in a beautiful garden, full of flowers. A huge cherry blossom tree stood over them.  
"Hikari.... this is so beautiful" she said.  
"I know" said Hikari.  
"Heyyy, guys!" a familiar voice said.  
Kazue and Hinako were behind them.  
"Kazue-san, Hinako-san!" Akari said.  
The girls ran towards them and they all hugged. They then fell down and laughed.  
"Oh my, this feels so good" said Kazue.  
"Over here I feel so.... free" said Hinako. "No one really knows who I am here. I can finally.... relax...."  
"We can finally do cute girlfriend things here" said Kazue.  
"Oh Kazue. You truly never change" said Hinako.

"Hey guys, I wrote a poem recently" said Akari. "Do you want to hear it?"  
"We'd love to!" said Kazue.  
Akari stood up and recited her poem. When she was done, the girls clapped.  
"That's my Akari" Hikari said. "Thanks to her, I fell in love with poetry."  
"Do you girls wanna see our new dance routine?" asked Kazue.  
"Sure" said Akari.  
Hinako and Kazue went in front and danced. They danced with passion and looked into each others' eyes with lots of love.  
"Wow, that was amazing!" Akari said.  
"You two really looked like you were in love" said Hikari.  
"That was the intention" Kazue said and winked.  
Hinako just laughed.  
"Hey guys, now that we have no worries anymore, lets race over there" said Kazue pointing to the cherry blossom tree.

And the girls ran. Their laughter filled the air. They smiled and had fun, knowing they wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore, knowing they now had a safe space, knowing that here, they could be happy for eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, we come to the end of Puella Magi Akari Magica. I couldn't just leave them like that at the end of chapter 11, so I just had to write a chapter where they're just being happy in magical girl heaven.
> 
> It was fun to write this series and it feels so good to have completed it. At times, I didn't have the motivation. But in a way, it felt good to have something to do. And now, I feel like I've accomplished something by completing this series.
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

**Author's Note:**

> Main characters of this series
> 
> Akari Sonozaki: https://magicalshoujolover.tumblr.com/post/620514566996115456/hello-everyone-here-is-my-puella-magi-oc-from-my  
> Hikari Sonozaki: https://magicalshoujolover.tumblr.com/post/620559016778727424/here-is-the-second-main-character-from-puella-magi  
> Kazue Kobayashi: https://magicalshoujolover.tumblr.com/post/620624146305548288/heres-the-third-main-character-from-puella-magi  
> Hinako Funai: https://magicalshoujolover.tumblr.com/post/620830472527855616/heres-the-fourth-and-final-main-character-from


End file.
